UK surname
A place name referring to someone from Melland, towns in Cheshire and Lancashire, England.
In the 1881 census there were 66 people recorded with the Melland surname, ranking it #24,256 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 77, ranked #33,236, down from #24,256 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Hathersage, Manchester and Bakewell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Melland is 103 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.7%.
1881 census count
66
Ranked #24,256
Modern count
77
2016, ranked #33,236
Peak year
1911
103 bearers
Map years
1
1911 to 1911
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Melland surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Melland surname density by area, 1911 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 65 | #21,747 |
| 1861 | historical | 77 | #23,975 |
| 1881 | historical | 66 | #24,256 |
| 1891 | historical | 78 | #27,035 |
| 1901 | historical | 80 | #25,251 |
| 1911 | historical | 103 | #22,328 |
| 1997 | modern | 67 | #30,915 |
| 1998 | modern | 73 | #30,681 |
| 1999 | modern | 80 | #30,152 |
| 2000 | modern | 79 | #30,249 |
| 2001 | modern | 77 | #30,277 |
| 2002 | modern | 73 | #31,159 |
| 2003 | modern | 73 | #31,186 |
| 2004 | modern | 76 | #31,125 |
| 2005 | modern | 77 | #31,156 |
| 2006 | modern | 79 | #31,263 |
| 2007 | modern | 82 | #31,295 |
| 2008 | modern | 80 | #31,833 |
| 2009 | modern | 84 | #31,842 |
| 2010 | modern | 87 | #31,990 |
| 2011 | modern | 90 | #31,564 |
| 2012 | modern | 81 | #32,796 |
| 2013 | modern | 84 | #32,745 |
| 2014 | modern | 84 | #32,823 |
| 2015 | modern | 81 | #32,975 |
| 2016 | modern | 77 | #33,236 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Hathersage, Manchester, Bakewell, Hartington and Bowdon. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hathersage | Derbyshire |
| 2 | Manchester | Lancashire |
| 3 | Bakewell | Derbyshire |
| 4 | Hartington | Derbyshire |
| 5 | Bowdon | Cheshire |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Melland surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Melland, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Melland surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Melland household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Melland is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Melland is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Melland, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname MELLAND is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, specifically a town or village located in the northern counties of England.
One theory suggests that the name MELLAND is a combination of the Old English words "mele," meaning "mill," and "land," referring to an estate or a piece of land. This indicates that the name may have originated from a location where a mill or a group of mills were situated.
Another possibility is that MELLAND is a variant spelling of the place name "Melland" or "Mellands," which was a township in the parish of Whalley, Lancashire. This area was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname MELLAND can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, Richard de Melland was listed as a landowner in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332.
One notable bearer of the MELLAND name was John Melland, a 16th-century English clergyman and academic. He was born in Lancashire around 1510 and served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, from 1554 until his death in 1562.
Another individual worth mentioning is Richard Melland, a 17th-century English minister and author. He was born in Lancashire in 1609 and is best known for his work "A Threefold Treatise," published in 1672.
In the 18th century, there was a prominent family named MELLAND who owned large estates in Lancashire and Cheshire. One member of this family, Thomas Melland (1711-1786), was a notable landowner and served as the High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1774.
Another bearer of the MELLAND surname was John Melland (1767-1843), a British soldier and politician. He served as a Member of Parliament for Rye from 1820 to 1826 and was also a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army.
While the MELLAND name has its roots in England, particularly in the northern counties, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and population movements over the centuries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Melland surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Derbyshire leads with 30 Mellands recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.77x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire | 30 | 29.77x |
| Lancashire | 20 | 2.62x |
| Devon | 5 | 3.73x |
| Middlesex | 4 | 0.62x |
| Glamorgan | 3 | 2.68x |
| Carmarthenshire | 1 | 3.69x |
| Gloucestershire | 1 | 0.79x |
| Kent | 1 | 0.46x |
| Midlothian | 1 | 1.16x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hathersage in Derbyshire leads with 18 Mellands recorded in 1881 and an index of 6428.57x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Hathersage | 18 | 6428.57x |
| Wensley Snitterton | 9 | 6000.00x |
| Withington | 7 | 284.55x |
| Rusholme | 6 | 294.12x |
| Instow | 5 | 3571.43x |
| Heaton Norris | 4 | 91.95x |
| Kensington London | 3 | 8.38x |
| Porteynon | 3 | 6000.00x |
| Brampton | 1 | 70.92x |
| Cheltenham | 1 | 10.27x |
| Edinburgh St Georges | 1 | 55.87x |
| Everton | 1 | 4.11x |
| Failsworth | 1 | 57.14x |
| Hampstead London | 1 | 9.98x |
| Llandingat | 1 | 161.29x |
| Maidstone | 1 | 15.29x |
| Monyash | 1 | 1111.11x |
| Rowsley Great | 1 | 1666.67x |
| Salford | 1 | 4.45x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Melland surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Melland surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Melland households.
FAQ
In 1881, 66 people were recorded with the Melland surname. That placed it at #24,256 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 77 in 2016. That gives Melland a modern rank of #33,236.
A place name referring to someone from Melland, towns in Cheshire and Lancashire, England.
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Melland bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.