2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Malby
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the dweller by the boundary".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Malby. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malby 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Malby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Malby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malby, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.2%) and Black (9.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malby
The surname Malby originated in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mæl" meaning "cross" and "by" meaning "farmstead" or "village." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a cross or landmark.
One of the earliest known references to the Malby name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de Malby." This indicates that the name was originally a locational surname, referring to a specific place called Malby.
In the 14th century, records show variations of the name such as "Maleby" and "Malby" in various historical documents. One notable individual from this time was John Malby, who was a member of the Parliament of England in 1386.
By the 15th century, the Malby family had established themselves in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. In the 1436 Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, the name appears as "Malebye." During this period, the Malby family was also associated with the village of Malby in Lincolnshire, which may have contributed to the widespread use of the surname.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the Malby name was Nicholas Malby, who served as a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in 1547 and 1553. Another notable individual was Sir Thomas Malby, a military commander who fought in the Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War in the late 16th century.
The 17th century saw the Malby name spread to other parts of England, including Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. One notable bearer of the name during this time was Sir Edward Malby, a landowner and justice of the peace in Lincolnshire, who was born in 1612.
In the 18th century, the Malby family continued to be influential in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. One notable figure was Christopher Malby, a clergyman and author who was born in Yorkshire in 1734.
Throughout its history, the Malby surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Malby in Lincolnshire, as well as similar spellings like Malbys, Malbey, and Malbie. While not an exhaustive list, these five individuals represent some of the most notable bearers of the Malby surname throughout its long and storied history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malby
Among Census respondents with the surname Malby, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.2%) and Black (9.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Malby 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 Malby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.1% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino22.2% · 26
- Black or African American9.4% · 11
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malby
Malby 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,437 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,262 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 4,437 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 7,262 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 Malby 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 | #151,532 | #144,270 | 4.8% |
| Count | 108 | 117 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malby bearers went from 108 to 117 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 7,262 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #144,270.
FAQ
Malby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malby?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Malby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Malby?
Malby ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Malby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Malby.
Has Malby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malby went from 108 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Malby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malby, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.2%) and Black (9.4%). 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 Malby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.1%), Hispanic (22.2%), Black (9.4%). 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 Malby (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 Malby mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the dweller by the boundary". 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 Malby (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 people have the last name Malby?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Malby at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.