Find out how popular the last name Malik is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Malik.

Malik, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Malik surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Malik in America

Malik is the 2429th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Malik surname appeared 14,925 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Malik.

We can also compare 2010 data for Malik to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Malik

The surname Malik originated in the Arabic language and is derived from the word 'malik', which means 'king' or 'sovereign'. It has its roots in the Middle East, particularly in the Arab world and regions influenced by Islamic culture and civilization.

The name can be traced back to the early days of Islam, and it was often used as a title or honorific for rulers, leaders, and nobility. In the medieval period, the name Malik was associated with various dynasties and kingdoms across the Middle East and North Africa.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Malik can be found in the works of renowned Arab historians and scholars from the 8th and 9th centuries, such as Al-Tabari and Al-Masudi. These authors often mentioned individuals with the surname Malik who held positions of power or influence.

In the 12th century, the Malik dynasty ruled over parts of what is now modern-day Iran and Afghanistan. The most prominent figure from this dynasty was Malik Shah I, who reigned from 1072 to 1092 and expanded the Seljuk Empire to its greatest extent.

Another notable individual with the surname Malik was Ibn Malik, a renowned Arab grammarian and scholar from the 13th century. His work, "Al-Alfiyyah," became a seminal text in the study of Arabic grammar and linguistics.

In the Indian subcontinent, the surname Malik has a long history and is associated with various ruling dynasties and noble families. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Malik Ambar, a military leader and Prime Minister of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the 17th century.

During the Mughal Empire in India, the surname Malik was often used by individuals of high social status or nobility. For example, Malik Ayaz, a prominent courtier and general under the Mughal emperor Akbar, lived in the 16th century.

In more recent times, the surname Malik has been borne by several influential figures, such as Malik Ghulam Muhammad, a poet and philosopher from British India in the 19th century, and Malik Meraj Khalid, a Pakistani lawyer and politician who served as Prime Minister in the 1950s.

The surname Malik has also been associated with various place names and locations, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia. For instance, Malik Sar, a village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and Malik Pura, a town in the Indian state of Punjab, derive their names from individuals or families with the Malik surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Malik

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Malik.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Malik was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Malik has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Malik was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Malik, please contact us.

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