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Melrose Family History

Melrose Name Meaning

Scottish: habitational name from a place near Galashiels in the Scottish Borders so named from British words that were ancestors of Welsh moel ‘bare barren’ + rhos ‘moor heath’. The Breton and Irish equivalents of the second element mean ‘promontory’ and this may also have been the sense here.

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


Similar surnames: Penrose, Mellor, Mearns, Mellish, Pedrosa, Loose, Elmore, Mellon

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Melrose family from?

You can see how Melrose families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Melrose family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Melrose families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1840 there were 2 Melrose families living in Illinois. This was about 50% of all the recorded Melrose's in USA. Illinois had the highest population of Melrose families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Melrose surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Melrose ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Melrose. 17% of Melrose men worked as a Farmer and 12% of Melrose women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Melrose were Carpenter and New Worker. .

View Census Data for Melrose | 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.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    17%
  • Laborer
    14%
  • Salesman
    10%
  • Carpenter
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    12%
  • Waitress
    8%
  • Clerk
    8%
  • New Worker
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Melrose family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 29,000 census records available for the last name Melrose. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Melrose census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Melrose

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Melrose. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Melrose immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Melrose. For the veterans among your Melrose ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Melrose military records

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What is the average Melrose lifespan?

Between 1948 and 2004, in the United States, Melrose life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Melrose in 1948 was 18, and 66 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Melrose

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