2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Malett
A surname derived from the Old French word "malet" meaning "small mallet" or "hammer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Malett. 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 Malett 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 Malett 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 Malett, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malett
The surname MALETT is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "malet," which means "small or little." This word is thought to have been used as a nickname for someone of small stature or a younger child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MALETT can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Malettus," indicating its French roots.
During the 12th century, the name MALETT began to appear in various historical records across England. In 1166, a person named William Malet was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer.
The surname MALETT has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Mallet Court in Somerset and Mallet in Wiltshire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname MALETT who owned or resided in those areas.
One notable individual with the surname MALETT was Sir Thomas Malet (1515-1585), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was Robert Malet (1810-1881), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as Governor of the British settlements in the Strait of Malacca.
Other historical figures with the surname MALETT include:
1. Sir Baldwin Malet (1235-1298), an English knight and landowner in Dorset.
2. John Mallet (c. 1360-1437), an English clergyman and academic who served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
3. Francis Malet (1592-1663), an English soldier and politician who fought in the English Civil War.
4. Philip Malet (1694-1773), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Leeward Islands.
5. George Grenville Malet (1753-1815), a British diplomat and politician who served as Ambassador to Prussia.
The surname MALETT has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, politicians, academics, and military figures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malett
Among Census respondents with the surname Malett, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Malett 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 Malett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 82
- Black or African American25.4% · 30
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malett
Malett 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+21 bearers (+20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,299 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+20.2%) | Up 11,299 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,799 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 Malett 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 | #134,712 | #143,511 | -6.5% |
| Count | 125 | 118 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malett bearers went from 125 to 118 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,799 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #143,511.
FAQ
Malett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malett?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Malett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Malett?
Malett 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 Malett. 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 Malett.
Has Malett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malett went from 125 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Malett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malett, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Malett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.5%), Black (25.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Malett (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 Malett mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "malet" meaning "small mallet" or "hammer." 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 Malett (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 are called Malett?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Malett, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.