2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Malekan
A surname derived from the Armenian place name Malakan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Malekan. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malekan 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Malekan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malekan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malekan
The surname MALEKAN is believed to have originated in Iran, with roots tracing back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Persian word "malikan," which translates to "landowners" or "those who possess land." This suggests that the name's bearers were likely members of the landed gentry or aristocracy in ancient Persia.
The earliest recorded instances of the name MALEKAN can be found in historical documents and manuscripts from the 9th and 10th centuries, during the Abbasid Caliphate's rule over present-day Iran. These records often referred to powerful families or individuals who held significant landholdings and wielded influence in their respective regions.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the name MALEKAN was Abu Bakr Malekan, a prominent scholar and poet who lived in the 10th century. His works, which have been preserved in various literary anthologies, provide valuable insights into the cultural and intellectual climate of medieval Persia.
During the Seljuk Empire's reign in the 11th and 12th centuries, the MALEKAN name gained further prominence. Several members of this family held high-ranking positions within the Seljuk court, serving as advisors, administrators, and military commanders. One notable figure from this era was Nizam al-Mulk Malekan, a renowned vizier and author whose writings on statecraft and governance influenced the political landscape of the time.
In the 13th century, the MALEKAN name appeared in the travel accounts of Marco Polo, the famed Venetian explorer. He documented encountering a wealthy and influential family bearing this surname during his journeys through the Persian region, further solidifying the name's historical significance.
As the centuries progressed, the MALEKAN name continued to be associated with landowners and individuals of high social standing in various parts of Iran. Notable figures include Mirza Isa Malekan, a 17th-century poet and calligrapher, and Haji Mohammad Khan Malekan, a 19th-century military leader and governor who played a pivotal role in the struggles against foreign interventions in Iran.
Throughout its long history, the surname MALEKAN has been a testament to the rich cultural heritage and influential role its bearers have played in shaping the political, intellectual, and artistic landscapes of Iran over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malekan
Among Census respondents with the surname Malekan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Malekan 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 Malekan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 111
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malekan
Malekan 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
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,413 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 Malekan 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 | #146,201 | #142,788 | 2.3% |
| Count | 113 | 119 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malekan bearers went from 113 to 119 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,413 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #142,788.
FAQ
Malekan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malekan?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Malekan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Malekan?
Malekan ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Malekan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Malekan.
Has Malekan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malekan went from 113 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Malekan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malekan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) 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 Malekan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malekan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (5.0%), 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 Malekan (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 Malekan mean?
A surname derived from the Armenian place name Malakan. 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 Malekan (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 Malekan?
If you just want to know how common the surname Malekan is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.