2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Malinowsky
A surname of Polish origin meaning "from the village of Malinowo".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Malinowsky. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malinowsky 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Malinowsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malinowsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malinowsky
The surname Malinowsky is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Polish word "malina," meaning "raspberry," combined with the possessive suffix "-owsky." This suggests that the name initially referred to someone associated with raspberries, potentially a farmer, trader, or someone residing near raspberry fields.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Malinowsky surname can be found in the 16th-century Polish census records from the town of Krakow. Here, the name is listed as "Malinowski," an alternative spelling that was common during that era. This variant spelling is also evident in the 1598 Tarnow Land Records, where a certain Jan Malinowski is mentioned as a landowner.
In the 17th century, the Malinowsky name began to appear in other parts of Poland, particularly in the regions of Masovia and Silesia. Notable figures from this period include Jakub Malinowsky (1620-1677), a renowned Polish philosopher and theologian, and Anna Malinowska (1642-1718), a renowned philanthropist who established several schools and orphanages in Warsaw.
As the Malinowsky family spread across Europe, the name underwent various spelling variations. In Germany, it was sometimes rendered as "Malinowski" or "Malinowsky," while in Russia, it was often written as "Мали́новский" (Malinovskiy). One notable bearer of the name was Rodion Malinovsky (1898-1967), a Soviet military commander who played a crucial role in the Eastern Front during World War II.
In the 19th century, the Malinowsky name gained prominence in the field of anthropology with the birth of Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942), a Polish-British anthropologist widely regarded as one of the founders of modern anthropological fieldwork. His contributions to the study of culture and social organization have had a lasting impact on the discipline.
Other notable individuals with the Malinowsky surname include Kazimierz Malinowski (1807-1865), a Polish poet and translator, and Wacław Malinowski (1919-2001), a Polish actor and film director who received numerous accolades for his work in the Polish cinema industry.
While the Malinowsky surname has its origins in Poland, it has since spread globally, with descendants bearing this name found in various countries around the world. The name continues to be a testament to the rich cultural heritage and history of its Polish roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malinowsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Malinowsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Malinowsky 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 Malinowsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino9.7% · 11
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malinowsky
Malinowsky 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,431 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-7 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,993 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,431 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 7,993 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 Malinowsky 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 | #139,228 | #147,221 | -5.7% |
| Count | 120 | 113 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malinowsky bearers went from 120 to 113 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 7,993 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #147,221.
FAQ
Malinowsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malinowsky?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Malinowsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Malinowsky?
Malinowsky ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Malinowsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Malinowsky.
Has Malinowsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malinowsky went from 120 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Malinowsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malinowsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Malinowsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malinowsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.3%), Hispanic (9.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Malinowsky (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 Malinowsky mean?
A surname of Polish origin meaning "from the village of Malinowo". 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 Malinowsky (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 Americans have the surname Malinowsky?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.