2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Malatek
A surname referring to a person of small stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Malatek. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malatek 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Malatek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malatek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malatek
The surname Malatek is believed to have originated in Poland in the late 15th or early 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "malatek," which means "young man" or "youth." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was notably young or youthful in appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Malatek can be found in a Polish census record from the town of Krakow, dating back to 1523. In this document, a man named Jan Malatek is listed as a resident of the city's Old Town district. This provides evidence that the name was already in use during this time period.
The name Malatek is also mentioned in several historical manuscripts and records from the 16th and 17th centuries, primarily in the regions of Lesser Poland and Silesia. For example, in 1612, a nobleman named Krzysztof Malatek was granted a land charter by the Polish king, Sigismund III Vasa, for his service in the Polish-Russian War.
Another notable figure with the surname Malatek was Jakub Malatek (1672-1741), a Polish painter and artist who was known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches throughout Krakow and the surrounding areas. His masterpiece is considered to be the stunning ceiling fresco in the Church of St. Anne in Krakow, completed in 1703.
In the 18th century, the name Malatek began to appear in records from other parts of Europe as well. For instance, in 1784, a German merchant named Heinrich Malatek is mentioned in trade records from the city of Hamburg, suggesting that the name had spread beyond Poland's borders by this point.
Another notable figure was Franciszek Malatek (1792-1853), a Polish revolutionary and military officer who fought against the Russian Empire in the November Uprising of 1830-1831. He was decorated for his bravery and leadership during the conflict.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Malatek continued to be found in various records and documents from Poland, as well as in other parts of Eastern and Central Europe where Polish communities had settled. However, the name remained relatively uncommon compared to some other Polish surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malatek
Among Census respondents with the surname Malatek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Malatek 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 Malatek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malatek
Malatek 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+10 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 529 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-16 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 529 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 14,362 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 Malatek 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 | #139,228 | #153,590 | -10.3% |
| Count | 120 | 104 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malatek bearers went from 120 to 104 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 14,362 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #153,590.
FAQ
Malatek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malatek?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Malatek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Malatek?
Malatek ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Malatek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Malatek.
Has Malatek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malatek went from 120 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Malatek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malatek, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Malatek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malatek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Malatek (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 Malatek mean?
A surname referring to a person of small stature. 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 Malatek (0.03 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 Malatek?
Find out how many people have the surname Malatek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.