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Melena Family History

Melena Surname Meaning

Spanish and Portuguese: probably a nickname from melena, a term denoting a piece of leather placed on the horns of an ox so that the yoke would not harm them, possibly applied to someone in charge of an ox as a draft animal.

By extension, melena came to mean ‘mane’ and ‘long hair’, probably applied to someone with long or untidy hair.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Melena family from?

You can see how Melena families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Melena family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Melena families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 5 Melena families living in London. This was 100% of all the recorded Melena's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Melena families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Melena surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Melena ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Farmer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Melena. 36% of Melena men worked as a Laborer and 100% of Melena women worked as a Farmer.

View Census Data for Melena | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    36%
  • Farmer
    29%
  • Truck Driver
    22%
  • Farm Labor
    15%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    100%

What Melena family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 943 census records available for the last name Melena. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Melena census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Melena

Passenger Lists

There are 268 immigration records available for the last name Melena. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Melena immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 71 military records available for the last name Melena. For the veterans among your Melena ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Melena military records

You've only scratched the surface of Melena family history

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What is the average Melena lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2004, in the United States, Melena life expectancy was at its lowest point in 2004, and highest in 1984. The average life expectancy for Melena in 1963 was 80, and 18 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Melena

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Melena ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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