2010
#114,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Malayev
A surname of Slavic origin potentially derived from a place name or an archaic personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Malayev. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malayev 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Malayev in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malayev, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malayev
The surname Malayev is believed to have originated in Russia during the 16th century. It is likely derived from the Old Russian word "malay" or "malyi," which means "small" or "little." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone of small stature or a younger child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Malayev can be found in a census record from the city of Novgorod in 1567. The record lists a man named Ivan Malayev, a merchant who traded in furs and other goods.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several historical documents from the Russian Empire. A notable example is the diary of Prince Andrei Malayev, a military officer who served under Tsar Alexis I. His diary provides valuable insights into the life of the Russian nobility during that period.
During the 18th century, the Malayev family gained prominence in the region of Smolensk. Semyon Malayev (1712-1778) was a landowner and local administrator who oversaw the construction of several churches and public buildings in the area.
In the 19th century, Pyotr Malayev (1824-1901) was a renowned Russian poet and playwright. His works often explored themes of love, nature, and the Russian countryside. He is considered one of the key figures of the Golden Age of Russian literature.
Another notable individual was Nikolai Malayev (1867-1936), a prominent Russian politician and diplomat. He served as the Russian ambassador to France from 1909 to 1917 and played a crucial role in the negotiations leading up to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk during World War I.
The surname Malayev has also been associated with several places in Russia. For example, the village of Malayevka in the Kursk region was named after a landowner with the surname Malayev who owned the land in the 18th century.
Throughout its history, the Malayev surname has been spelled in various ways, including Malayeff, Malayev, and Malayeff, reflecting the nuances of transliteration from the Cyrillic alphabet to the Latin alphabet.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malayev
Among Census respondents with the surname Malayev, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Malayev 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 Malayev surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 99
- Two or more races6.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malayev
Malayev 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-37 bearers (-24.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,604 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #114,424 | 153 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -37 bearers (-24.2%) | Down 30,604 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 Malayev 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 | #114,424 | #145,028 | -26.7% |
| Count | 153 | 116 | -24.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malayev bearers went from 153 to 116 (-24.2% change). The surname moved down 30,604 positions in the national ranking, going from #114,424 to #145,028.
FAQ
Malayev surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malayev?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Malayev. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Malayev?
Malayev ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Malayev. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Malayev.
Has Malayev become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malayev went from 153 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 37 (-24.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #114,424 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Malayev?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malayev, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Malayev in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malayev appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Two or More Races (6.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Malayev (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 Malayev mean?
A surname of Slavic origin potentially derived from a place name or an archaic personal name. 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 Malayev (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 Malayev?
Want to know how many people are called Malayev? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.