2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Malawy
A locational surname referring to someone from Malawi in Africa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Malawy. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malawy 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Malawy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malawy, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malawy
The surname MALAWY is believed to have originated in the Middle East, likely in the region that is now known as Lebanon or Syria. It is thought to have been derived from the Arabic word "malawi," which means "belonging to the king" or "royal." This suggests that the name may have been borne by individuals who were associated with royalty or the ruling class in that region.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname MALAWY can be traced back to the 11th century, when it appeared in various manuscripts and historical records from the Levant region. One notable example is the Kitab al-Zahrat, a 12th-century manuscript that mentions a certain Abu al-Hasan al-Malawy, a scholar and poet who lived in Damascus during that time.
In the 13th century, the name MALAWY was also found in records from the Mamluk Sultanate, a Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled over Egypt, the Levant, and parts of the Arabian Peninsula. One prominent figure from this era was Shams al-Din al-Malawy, a renowned Islamic jurist and scholar who served as the chief qadi (judge) of Damascus in the late 13th century.
As the centuries passed, the MALAWY name spread across the Middle East and beyond, with various spellings and variations emerging in different regions. For instance, in the 16th century, there was a notable Ottoman scholar and traveler named Evliya Çelebi, whose full name was Evliya bin Derviş Mehmet Zillî Malawy.
In the 19th century, the name MALAWY gained prominence in the Arabian Gulf region, particularly in Bahrain and Qatar. One notable figure from this era was Ahmed bin Malawy, a prominent Bahraini merchant and pearl trader who lived in the late 1800s and was known for his vast business ventures across the Gulf.
Another significant individual with the MALAWY surname was Yusuf al-Malawy, an Iraqi poet and writer who lived from 1899 to 1969. He was renowned for his contributions to modern Arabic literature and was considered one of the pioneers of the free verse movement in the Arab world.
While the surname MALAWY has its roots in the Middle East, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical origins and association with royalty and scholarly pursuits in the region remain an integral part of its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malawy
Among Census respondents with the surname Malawy, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Malawy 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 Malawy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malawy
Malawy 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
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 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 Malawy 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 | #143,149 | #143,511 | -0.3% |
| Count | 116 | 118 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malawy bearers went from 116 to 118 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #143,511.
FAQ
Malawy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malawy?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Malawy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Malawy?
Malawy ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Malawy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Malawy.
Has Malawy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malawy went from 116 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Malawy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malawy, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Malawy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malawy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Black (2.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Malawy (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 Malawy mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Malawi in Africa. 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 Malawy (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 Malawy?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Malawy is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.