2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mahlstadt
A German locational surname referring to someone from a town named Mahlstadt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Mahlstadt. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mahlstadt 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Mahlstadt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahlstadt, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mahlstadt
The surname Mahlstadt is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "mahl" meaning "meal" and "stadt" meaning "town" or "city." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a town or area where meals or provisions were distributed or sold.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mahlstadt can be found in the town of Rostock, located in what is now the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. In 1587, a merchant named Hans Mahlstadt was mentioned in the city's records, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.
Another early reference to the Mahlstadt name comes from the town of Freiburg, located in the southwestern region of Germany. In the late 16th century, a family by the name of Mahlstadt was recorded as residing in the city, where they were involved in various trades and professions.
In the 17th century, the Mahlstadt name appears in several historical documents from the Rhineland region of Germany. One notable figure was Johannes Mahlstadt, a scholar and theologian who lived from 1612 to 1687. He was known for his writings on theology and his contributions to the intellectual discourse of the time.
During the 18th century, the Mahlstadt name continued to be found in various parts of Germany. One notable individual was Karl Mahlstadt, a architect and builder who lived from 1738 to 1812. He was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the city of Dresden, including the Semper Opera House.
In the 19th century, the Mahlstadt name gained prominence in the realm of literature. August Mahlstadt, born in 1821 and died in 1895, was a renowned German poet and writer. His works explored themes of nature, love, and the human condition, and he is considered one of the most influential figures of German Romanticism.
As the centuries passed, the Mahlstadt name spread beyond Germany and can now be found in various parts of the world. However, its origins remain firmly rooted in the German language and the historical regions where it first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mahlstadt
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahlstadt, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mahlstadt 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 Mahlstadt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 92
- Black or African American8.2% · 9
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mahlstadt
Mahlstadt 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
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,193 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 Mahlstadt 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 | #147,253 | #149,446 | -1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 110 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mahlstadt bearers went from 112 to 110 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,193 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #149,446.
FAQ
Mahlstadt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mahlstadt?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Mahlstadt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Mahlstadt?
Mahlstadt ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Mahlstadt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Mahlstadt.
Has Mahlstadt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mahlstadt went from 112 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Mahlstadt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mahlstadt, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mahlstadt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mahlstadt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Black (8.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Mahlstadt (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 Mahlstadt mean?
A German locational surname referring to someone from a town named Mahlstadt. 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 Mahlstadt (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 many people have the surname Mahlstadt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.