Explore the Family Name Melita

The meaning of Melita

Italian: from Melita, the Latin name for Malta, hence an ethnic name for someone from Malta or someone with trade or other connections with the island. This has been a surname since Byzantine times. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Salvatore, Alfio, Carmela, Orazio, Rosaria, Santo.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Melita in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Melita" saw a slight dip in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 57,705th on the list of most common surnames but fell to 59,171st by 2010, representing a 2.54% reduction. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased from 330 in 2000 to 342 in 2010, indicating a growth rate of 3.64%. The proportion per 100,000 people remained stable at 0.12 over the decade, showcasing that the surname's prevalence in the population remained relatively unchanged.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#57,705	#59,171	-2.54%
Count	330	342	3.64%
Proportion per 100k	0.12	0.12	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Melita

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data showed some changes among those bearing the surname "Melita" between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 95.45% identified as White, which decreased slightly to 92.40% in 2010. The Hispanic representation also fell from 2.73% to 2.34%. Interestingly, the data showed new ethnic identities appearing within this surname group. In 2010, 1.46% identified as Asian/Pacific Islander and 2.63% reported they belonged to two or more races. No one identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	95.45%	92.4%	-3.2%
Two or More Races	0%	2.63%	0%
Hispanic	2.73%	2.34%	-14.29%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	1.46%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%