2000
#13,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,089
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Malagon
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Malagón in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,621 Americans carry the last name Malagon. That puts it at #9,790 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,657 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malagon 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
3.6K
1 in 94,657
Census rank
#9,790
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,158 bearers of the surname Malagon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9790th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malagon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malagon
The surname Malagon is of Spanish origin, and it can be traced back to the region of Malaga in southern Spain. The name is derived from the Arabic word "Malaqah," which means "salted fish," referring to the city's historical role as a center for the salted fish trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Malagon appears in the 13th century, during the Reconquista period when the Iberian Peninsula was being reclaimed from the Moors. It is believed that the name was initially given to individuals who hailed from the city of Malaga or its surrounding areas.
In the 14th century, Pedro Malagon was a prominent figure in the court of King Alfonso XI of Castile. He served as a trusted advisor and diplomat, helping to negotiate peace treaties and alliances with neighboring kingdoms.
During the 16th century, Juan de Malagon was a notable explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico. He played a crucial role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and is said to have been one of the first Spaniards to set foot on the island of Cozumel.
In the 17th century, Diego de Malagon was a renowned architect who designed several notable churches and buildings in Seville, including the Iglesia de San Luis de los Franceses and the Palacio de las Dueñas.
The 18th century saw the rise of Juana Malagon, a celebrated opera singer who performed in the royal courts of Europe. She was renowned for her exceptional vocal range and emotional interpretation of roles.
In the 19th century, Manuel Malagon was a prominent figure in the Spanish-American War. He served as a general in the Spanish army and played a key role in the defense of Santiago de Cuba against American forces.
Throughout its history, the surname Malagon has been associated with various places and variations in spelling, such as Malaga, Malagon, and Malagón. These variations often reflected regional dialects or the personal preferences of individuals bearing the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malagon
Among Census respondents with the surname Malagon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Malagon 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 Malagon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.7% · 2,992
- White4.7% · 149
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- Two or more races0.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malagon
Malagon 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
#10,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,115
+1,026 bearers (+49.1%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 3,033 places
2020
#9,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,158
+43 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,372 | 2,089 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,339 | 3,115 | 1.06 | +1,026 bearers (+49.1%) | Up 3,033 places |
| 2020 | #9,790 | 3,158 | 1.06 | +43 bearers (+1.4%) | Up 549 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 Malagon 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 | #10,339 | #9,790 | 5.3% |
| Count | 3,115 | 3,158 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.06 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malagon bearers went from 3,115 to 3,158 (+1.4% change). The surname moved up 549 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,339 to #9,790.
FAQ
Malagon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malagon?
Name Census estimates that about 3,621 living Americans carry the surname Malagon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,657 residents.
How common is Malagon?
Malagon ranks #9,790 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,158 people with the surname Malagon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,621), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Malagon.
Has Malagon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malagon went from 3,115 recorded bearers to 3,158. That is an increase of 43 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,339 to #9,790.
What does the Census say about the background of Malagon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malagon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (0.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Malagon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (2,992 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malagon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.7%), White (4.7%), Black (0.2%). 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 Malagon (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 Malagon mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Malagón in Spain. 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 Malagon (1.06 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 last name Malagon?
See how many people are called Malagon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.