2000
#3,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,376
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.85
Uncommon Last name
Malik
An Arabic surname meaning "king" or "chieftain," denoting a person of authority or noble lineage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,189 Americans carry the last name Malik. That puts it at #1,908 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malik 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 Malik with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,176
Census rank
#1,908
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,478 bearers of the surname Malik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1908th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malik, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (17.3%) and Black (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malik
Among Census respondents with the surname Malik, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (17.3%) and Black (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Malik 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 Malik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander71.2% · 13,150
- White17.3% · 3,201
- Black or African American4.7% · 876
- Two or more races4.6% · 851
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 360
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malik
Malik 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
#2,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,925
+4,549 bearers (+43.8%)
Per 100,000 5.06
Rank movement Up 743 places
2020
#1,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,478
+3,553 bearers (+23.8%)
Per 100,000 6.18
Rank movement Up 521 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,172 | 10,376 | 3.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,429 | 14,925 | 5.06 | +4,549 bearers (+43.8%) | Up 743 places |
| 2020 | #1,908 | 18,478 | 6.18 | +3,553 bearers (+23.8%) | Up 521 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 Malik 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 | #2,429 | #1,908 | 21.4% |
| Count | 14,925 | 18,478 | 23.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.06 | 6.18 | 22.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malik bearers went from 14,925 to 18,478 (+23.8% change). The surname moved up 521 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,429 to #1,908.
FAQ
Malik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malik?
Name Census estimates that about 21,189 living Americans carry the surname Malik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,176 residents.
How common is Malik?
Malik ranks #1,908 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,478 people with the surname Malik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Malik.
Has Malik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malik went from 14,925 recorded bearers to 18,478. That is an increase of 3,553 (+23.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,429 to #1,908.
What does the Census say about the background of Malik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malik, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (17.3%) and Black (4.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Malik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (13,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (71.2%), White (17.3%), Black (4.7%). 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 Malik (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 Malik mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "king" or "chieftain," denoting a person of authority or noble lineage. 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 Malik (6.18 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 surname Malik?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.