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

Malin, 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 Malin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Malin in America

Malin is the 7616th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Malin surname appeared 4,365 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Malin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Malin 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 Malin

The surname Malin originates from France and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "maline," which means "malicious" or "cunning." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was considered sly or crafty.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several mentions of places with similar names, such as Malling and Mallingbury. These names may have been related to the Malin surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Malin surname is in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a person named Richard Malin. Another early example is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1212, which include a reference to a William Malin.

During the Middle Ages, the Malin surname was prevalent in various parts of France, particularly in the northern regions. Some notable individuals with this surname from that period include Jean Malin (c. 1330 – 1410), a French poet and composer, and Guillaume Malin (c. 1380 – 1460), a French cleric and theologian.

In the 16th century, the Malin surname began to spread to other parts of Europe, including England and Scotland. One prominent figure from this time was John Malin (c. 1520 – 1592), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the Elizabethan period.

In the 17th century, the Malin surname gained prominence in Ireland, where it was sometimes anglicized as "Mallon." One notable individual was Patrick Mallon (c. 1630 – 1685), an Irish Catholic priest and historian who wrote extensively about the history of Ireland.

As the surname spread further throughout Europe and beyond, it occasionally evolved into different spellings such as Maline, Mallin, and Mallyn. One significant figure from the 18th century was Jacob Mallin (1722 – 1803), a Swedish botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in Sweden.

By the 19th century, the Malin surname had become well-established in various parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One notable American with this surname was Claude Malin (1857 – 1923), a politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Malin

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

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 Malin 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 Malin 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 Malin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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