2000
#15,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,745
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Mallery
A surname of French origin referring to someone who was unfortunate or unhappy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,157 Americans carry the last name Mallery. That puts it at #15,061 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mallery 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
2.2K
1 in 158,903
Census rank
#15,061
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,881 bearers of the surname Mallery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15061st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallery, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mallery
The surname Mallery has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "maille," meaning a small silver coin or rent payment. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who collected rents or tolls.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. One notable mention is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a certain William Malerie as a resident of the county.
Another early reference to the name is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1202, where a Hugo de Maleria is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Maleria," provides insights into the name's evolution over time.
By the 14th century, the name had gained a more recognizable form, appearing in records as "Mallery" or "Malory." The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a John Mallery as a taxpayer, indicating the name's presence in different regions of England.
One of the earliest and most renowned individuals with the surname Mallery was Sir Thomas Malory (c. 1415-1471), the author of the influential work "Le Morte d'Arthur," a compilation of tales about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. His literary achievements contributed significantly to the preservation and popularization of Arthurian legends.
Another notable figure was William Mallery (1572-1635), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and was a prominent figure in the Church of England during the early 17th century.
In the realm of politics, Sir John Mallery (1610-1655) was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who played a role in the English Civil War, initially siding with the Parliamentarians but later switching allegiances to the Royalists.
Moving forward in history, John Mallery (1789-1857) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania, holding office from 1835 to 1841.
Lastly, Alfred Mallery (1810-1888) was an American military officer who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of Brigadier General and participating in numerous battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mallery
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallery, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mallery 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 Mallery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 1,476
- Black or African American15.4% · 289
- Two or more races2.8% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mallery
Mallery 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
#14,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,050
+305 bearers (+17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 884 places
2020
#15,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,881
-169 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,421 | 1,745 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,537 | 2,050 | 0.69 | +305 bearers (+17.5%) | Up 884 places |
| 2020 | #15,061 | 1,881 | 0.63 | -169 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 524 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 Mallery 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 | #14,537 | #15,061 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,050 | 1,881 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.63 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mallery bearers went from 2,050 to 1,881 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 524 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,537 to #15,061.
FAQ
Mallery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mallery?
Name Census estimates that about 2,157 living Americans carry the surname Mallery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,903 residents.
How common is Mallery?
Mallery ranks #15,061 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,881 people with the surname Mallery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,157), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Mallery.
Has Mallery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mallery went from 2,050 recorded bearers to 1,881. That is a decrease of 169 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,537 to #15,061.
What does the Census say about the background of Mallery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallery, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Mallery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (1,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mallery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Black (15.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Mallery (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 Mallery mean?
A surname of French origin referring to someone who was unfortunate or unhappy. 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 Mallery (0.63 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 Mallery?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.