2000
#10,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,736
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Mallette
A French occupational surname referring to a small trunk, suitcase, or bag maker or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,136 Americans carry the last name Mallette. That puts it at #11,077 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,297 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mallette 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
3.1K
1 in 109,297
Census rank
#11,077
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,735 bearers of the surname Mallette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11077th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallette, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mallette
The surname Mallette is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "malette," which means a small traveling bag or suitcase. It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for someone who made or carried these bags, likely a traveling merchant or peddler.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Mallette dates back to the late 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. The name can be found in various medieval records from this region, including tax rolls and parish registers.
One notable early reference to the surname Mallette is found in the "Cahiers de l'État Civil," a collection of civil records from the 17th century. In 1642, a man named Pierre Mallette is recorded as residing in the town of Rouen, Normandy.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Mallette was also associated with several noble families in France. In the 14th century, a family bearing the name Mallette was recorded as holding lands in the region of Champagne.
As the name spread throughout France, it also began to appear in different spellings, such as Malette, Mallete, and Mallet. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling during that time period.
One notable figure who bore the surname Mallette was Jean-Baptiste Mallette, a French architect born in 1728 in the town of Châlons-en-Champagne. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais de la Monnaie (Mint Palace) and the Hôtel de Longueville.
In the 19th century, a man named Auguste Mallette (1833-1901) gained recognition as a French painter and sculptor. He was known for his portraits and historical scenes, and his works were exhibited at the renowned Paris Salon.
Another individual of note was Marie-Louise Mallette (1856-1932), a French educator and women's rights activist. She founded several schools for girls in Paris and was a prominent figure in the early feminist movement in France.
The surname Mallette also found its way to other parts of Europe, particularly Belgium and Switzerland, where families bearing this name can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in Belgium is that of Jean Mallette, a merchant who lived in the city of Liège in the late 16th century. In Switzerland, the Mallette family was established in the canton of Vaud, with records dating back to the 17th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mallette
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallette, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mallette 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 Mallette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.1% · 2,055
- Black or African American16.2% · 444
- Two or more races4.5% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mallette
Mallette 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
#10,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,931
+195 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#11,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,735
-196 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,712 | 2,736 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,871 | 2,931 | 0.99 | +195 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #11,077 | 2,735 | 0.92 | -196 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 206 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 Mallette 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 | #10,871 | #11,077 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,931 | 2,735 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.92 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mallette bearers went from 2,931 to 2,735 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,871 to #11,077.
FAQ
Mallette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mallette?
Name Census estimates that about 3,136 living Americans carry the surname Mallette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,297 residents.
How common is Mallette?
Mallette ranks #11,077 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,735 people with the surname Mallette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Mallette.
Has Mallette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mallette went from 2,931 recorded bearers to 2,735. That is a decrease of 196 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,871 to #11,077.
What does the Census say about the background of Mallette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallette, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mallette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (2,055 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mallette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.1%), Black (16.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mallette (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 Mallette mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a small trunk, suitcase, or bag maker or seller. 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 Mallette (0.92 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 Mallette?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.