2000
#38,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 542
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Mallinger
A locational surname derived from a place name with Germanic origins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 655 Americans carry the last name Mallinger. That puts it at #41,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 523,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mallinger 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
655
1 in 523,289
Census rank
#41,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
571
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 571 bearers of the surname Mallinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mallinger
The surname Mallinger originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "malho," meaning "meeting" or "assembly," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a place where gatherings or meetings were held.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mallinger can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dated around the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, including Malinger, Mallynger, and Mallingere, indicating its evolution over time.
During the 14th century, the Mallinger family seems to have been well-established in the region of Saxony, as evidenced by the appearance of the name in various historical records and manuscripts from that era. One notable mention is in the Annales Reinhardsbrunnenses, a chronicle of events from the Reinhardsbrunnen monastery, which references a certain "Johannes Mallinger" in the year 1367.
The name Mallinger has also been linked to several place names in Germany, such as Mallingerode, a village in the Harz region of Saxony-Anhalt. This connection suggests that the surname may have originated from a specific location or area associated with the Mallinger family.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Mallinger. One of the earliest recorded was Hans Mallinger (1435-1501), a German painter and woodcarver known for his intricate altarpieces and religious sculptures. Another notable figure was Johann Mallinger (1575-1642), a Baroque composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony.
In the 18th century, Friedrich Mallinger (1704-1783) was a prominent German mathematician and astronomer, known for his contributions to the calculation of planetary orbits and the development of logarithmic tables. Later, in the 19th century, Karl Mallinger (1824-1895) was a German novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of the working class.
More recently, the name Mallinger has been associated with Gerhard Mallinger (1935-2018), a German actor and voice artist who lent his talents to numerous films, television shows, and audio productions throughout his long career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mallinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mallinger 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 Mallinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 504
- Two or more races4.7% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 21
- Black or African American2.3% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mallinger
Mallinger 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
#46,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 463
-79 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 7,642 places
2020
#41,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 571
+108 bearers (+23.3%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 4,895 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,395 | 542 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,037 | 463 | 0.16 | -79 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 7,642 places |
| 2020 | #41,142 | 571 | 0.19 | +108 bearers (+23.3%) | Up 4,895 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 Mallinger 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 | #46,037 | #41,142 | 10.6% |
| Count | 463 | 571 | 23.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.19 | 19.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mallinger bearers went from 463 to 571 (+23.3% change). The surname moved up 4,895 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,037 to #41,142.
FAQ
Mallinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mallinger?
Name Census estimates that about 655 living Americans carry the surname Mallinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 523,289 residents.
How common is Mallinger?
Mallinger ranks #41,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 571 people with the surname Mallinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (655), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Mallinger.
Has Mallinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mallinger went from 463 recorded bearers to 571. That is an increase of 108 (+23.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #46,037 to #41,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Mallinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Mallinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (504 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mallinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Mallinger (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 Mallinger mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name with Germanic origins. 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 Mallinger (0.19 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 Mallinger?
You can see how many people are called Mallinger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.