2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Maalim
From Arabic: teacher or master.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Maalim. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maalim surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Maalim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maalim, the largest self-reported group is Black at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maalim
The surname MAALIM has its origins in the Swahili language, spoken primarily along the coasts of East Africa and parts of the Middle East. It is derived from the Arabic word "mu'allim," meaning teacher or instructor. The name likely emerged during the spread of Islam and Arabic culture along the Swahili Coast, which dates back to the 8th century AD.
MAALIM is believed to have been initially used as a title or honorific for respected Islamic scholars and educators. Over time, it transitioned into a hereditary surname, particularly among communities in modern-day Kenya, Tanzania, and parts of Somalia. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents and trade records from the medieval period, documenting the cultural and commercial exchanges between the Swahili Coast and the broader Islamic world.
One notable early reference to the name can be found in the "Kilwa Chronicle," a 16th-century manuscript that chronicles the history of the Kilwa Sultanate, a powerful trading empire located in present-day Tanzania. The chronicle mentions several individuals with the surname MAALIM, suggesting the name's prevalence among the learned class of the region during that era.
In the 18th century, a renowned Swahili poet and scholar named MAALIM Abdallah bin Ali bin Nasir al-Buri gained recognition for his contributions to Swahili literature and Islamic thought. Born in 1719 in Mombasa, Kenya, he authored several influential works, including the epic poem "Utendi wa Tambuka" and a collection of proverbs known as "Mashairi ya Maalim Buri."
Another notable figure bearing the surname MAALIM was Sheikh Maalim Juma al-Kilindini, a 19th-century Islamic scholar and teacher from Mombasa. He played a significant role in spreading Islamic education along the Swahili Coast and was highly regarded for his knowledge of Quranic studies and Arabic literature.
In the 20th century, MAALIM Mohamed Sidi Barra, born in 1907 in Zanzibar, Tanzania, gained fame as a prominent Swahili writer and poet. His works, including the novel "Utendi wa Mwana Kupona" and the collection "Diwani ya Maalim Barra," explored themes of cultural identity, social issues, and the preservation of Swahili literary traditions.
Throughout its history, the surname MAALIM has been closely associated with the dissemination of knowledge, education, and Islamic scholarship in the Swahili-speaking regions of East Africa. While its origins can be traced back to the medieval period, the name continues to hold cultural significance and is carried by many individuals in these areas to this day.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maalim
Among Census respondents with the surname Maalim, the largest self-reported group is Black at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Maalim bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Maalim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American100.0% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maalim
Maalim appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Maalim surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maalim bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Maalim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maalim?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Maalim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Maalim?
Maalim ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Maalim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Maalim.
Has Maalim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maalim went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Maalim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maalim, the largest self-reported group is Black at 100.0%. These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maalim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maalim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (100.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Maalim (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Maalim mean?
From Arabic: teacher or master. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Maalim (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Maalim?
See how many people are called Maalim on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.