2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Malbone
A surname derived from an old French locational name referring to someone from the town of Malbone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Malbone. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malbone 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Malbone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malbone, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malbone
The surname Malbone has its origins in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It is derived from the Old English words "mal" meaning "spot" or "blemish" and "bon" meaning "bone." The name likely referred to a person with a distinctive physical characteristic or blemish on their bones.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Malbone date back to the 13th century in the county of Derbyshire, England. The name was sometimes spelled as Malebone or Malebourne in its early variations. One of the earliest recorded bearers of this name was William Malebone, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1273.
The Malbone surname is also closely associated with the town of Malborne in Derbyshire, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Maleburne." It is possible that the name originated from this location and was adopted by families residing in the area.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Malbone was recorded as a merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol. His descendants continued to use the Malbone surname and were influential in the region's trade and commerce.
One of the most famous bearers of the Malbone name was Sir Nicholas Malbone, a prominent lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century (c. 1530-1599).
Another notable individual was Edward Malbone (1592-1647), an English Puritan who emigrated to New England in the early 17th century. He was one of the founders of the town of Newport, Rhode Island, and his descendants played a significant role in the colonial history of the region.
In the 18th century, the artist Edward Greene Malbone (1777-1807) was renowned for his miniature portrait paintings and was considered one of the finest artists of his time in America.
Throughout its history, the Malbone surname has been associated with various professions, including law, commerce, art, and politics. Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the name has left its mark on the cultural and historical fabric of both England and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malbone
Among Census respondents with the surname Malbone, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Malbone 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 Malbone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 110
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malbone
Malbone 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+11 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,679 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,081 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,679 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,081 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 Malbone 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 | #141,140 | #147,221 | -4.3% |
| Count | 118 | 113 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malbone bearers went from 118 to 113 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,081 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #147,221.
FAQ
Malbone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malbone?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Malbone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Malbone?
Malbone ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Malbone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Malbone.
Has Malbone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malbone went from 118 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Malbone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malbone, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Malbone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malbone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Malbone (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 Malbone mean?
A surname derived from an old French locational name referring to someone from the town of Malbone. 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 Malbone (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 many Americans have the surname Malbone?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.