2000
#7,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,988
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Malin
Derived from the Old French word "malin," meaning "clever" or "cunning," as a nickname for a shrewd person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,273 Americans carry the last name Malin. That puts it at #8,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,214 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malin 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 Malin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,214
Census rank
#8,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,726 bearers of the surname Malin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malin
Among Census respondents with the surname Malin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Malin 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 Malin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 3,285
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 175
- Two or more races2.9% · 109
- Black or African American2.6% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malin
Malin 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
#7,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,365
+377 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 78 places
2020
#8,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,726
-639 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 883 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,694 | 3,988 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,616 | 4,365 | 1.48 | +377 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 78 places |
| 2020 | #8,499 | 3,726 | 1.25 | -639 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 883 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 Malin 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 | #7,616 | #8,499 | -11.6% |
| Count | 4,365 | 3,726 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.25 | -15.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malin bearers went from 4,365 to 3,726 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 883 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,616 to #8,499.
FAQ
Malin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,273 living Americans carry the surname Malin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,214 residents.
How common is Malin?
Malin ranks #8,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,726 people with the surname Malin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,273), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Malin.
Has Malin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malin went from 4,365 recorded bearers to 3,726. That is a decrease of 639 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,616 to #8,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Malin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Malin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (3,285 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Malin (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 Malin mean?
Derived from the Old French word "malin," meaning "clever" or "cunning," as a nickname for a shrewd person. 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 Malin (1.25 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 common is the surname Malin?
You can see how many people are called Malin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.