2000
#91,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Malaby
A locational surname derived from a place name of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 197 Americans carry the last name Malaby. That puts it at #109,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,739,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malaby 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
197
1 in 1,739,870
Census rank
#109,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
172
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 172 bearers of the surname Malaby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 109465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malaby, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malaby
The surname Malaby has its origins in England and is believed to have derived from a place name. It is thought to be a variant of the surname Mallaby, which comes from the village of Mallaby in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This village likely took its name from the Old English words "mall" meaning "cross" or "monument" and "by" meaning "farmstead" or "village."
Records show that the Malaby surname can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John de Mallaby is listed as residing in Yorkshire. The Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, does not mention the Malaby name specifically but does reference the village of Mallaby.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in various spellings such as Malabey, Malabee, and Mallabie. One notable individual from this period was Robert Malaby, born in 1540 in Lincolnshire, who was a prominent merchant and landowner.
During the 17th century, the surname continued to be found primarily in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas. John Malaby, born in 1612 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was a notable figure who served as a magistrate and local official.
In the 18th century, the name spread to other parts of England, and individuals with the Malaby surname can be found in various records. One example is William Malaby, born in 1732 in Nottinghamshire, who was a renowned clockmaker and instrument maker.
Moving into the 19th century, the Malaby surname continued to be represented in various professions and walks of life. Sarah Malaby, born in 1807 in London, was a well-known author and poet, while Thomas Malaby, born in 1841 in Derbyshire, was a prominent industrialist and manufacturer.
Other notable individuals with the Malaby surname include John Malaby, born in 1867 in Yorkshire, who was a renowned architect and designer responsible for several notable buildings in the region. Thomas Malaby Jr., born in 1892 in Lancashire, was a decorated soldier who served in World War I and received the Military Cross for his bravery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malaby
Among Census respondents with the surname Malaby, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Malaby 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 Malaby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino15.1% · 26
- Two or more races4.7% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malaby
Malaby appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#88,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
+22 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 2,668 places
2020
#109,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
-38 bearers (-18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 21,129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,004 | 188 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,336 | 210 | 0.07 | +22 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 2,668 places |
| 2020 | #109,465 | 172 | 0.06 | -38 bearers (-18.1%) | Down 21,129 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 Malaby 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 | #88,336 | #109,465 | -23.9% |
| Count | 210 | 172 | -18.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -17.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malaby bearers went from 210 to 172 (-18.1% change). The surname moved down 21,129 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,336 to #109,465.
FAQ
Malaby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malaby?
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the surname Malaby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,739,870 residents.
How common is Malaby?
Malaby ranks #109,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 172 people with the surname Malaby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Malaby.
Has Malaby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malaby went from 210 recorded bearers to 172. That is a decrease of 38 (-18.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #88,336 to #109,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Malaby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malaby, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Malaby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malaby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Hispanic (15.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Malaby (2000, 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 Malaby mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name of uncertain origin. 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 Malaby (0.06 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 Malaby?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.