2000
#15,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Mallow
An Old English surname derived from the mallow flower or plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,089 Americans carry the last name Mallow. That puts it at #15,485 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,076 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mallow 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 Mallow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 164,076
Census rank
#15,485
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,822 bearers of the surname Mallow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15485th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mallow
The surname Mallow is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word 'malu' or 'malwe', meaning a plant of the mallow family. It likely originated as a nickname for someone who lived near a place where mallow plants grew abundantly or as an occupational name for a person who harvested or traded in these plants.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest bearers of the name was Walter de la Malowe, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1275. The 'de la' prefix suggests the name may have initially referred to a specific place name, possibly a location with an abundance of mallow plants.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Malewe, Malough, and Malowe, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling practices of the time. One notable bearer of the name was John Mallow, a merchant from London, who was recorded in the city's records in 1382.
During the 16th century, the Mallow surname was well-established in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Somerset. A notable figure from this period was William Mallow, a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London, who was born around 1510.
In the 17th century, the name spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Ireland and Scotland. One prominent individual with this surname was Sir Thomas Mallow, an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 1620s.
The 18th century saw the emergence of several notable Mallows, including John Mallow (1693-1766), a renowned English clockmaker and inventor, and Samuel Mallow (1718-1796), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, the Mallow surname continued to be widely represented, with individuals such as Charles Mallow (1811-1873), a British writer and journalist, and William Mallow (1845-1917), an English industrialist and philanthropist, leaving their mark on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mallow
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mallow 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 Mallow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,667
- Two or more races3.6% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mallow
Mallow 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
#17,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,652
-142 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 2,063 places
2020
#15,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,822
+170 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 1,666 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,088 | 1,794 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,151 | 1,652 | 0.56 | -142 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 2,063 places |
| 2020 | #15,485 | 1,822 | 0.61 | +170 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 1,666 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 Mallow 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 | #17,151 | #15,485 | 9.7% |
| Count | 1,652 | 1,822 | 10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.61 | 8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mallow bearers went from 1,652 to 1,822 (+10.3% change). The surname moved up 1,666 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,151 to #15,485.
FAQ
Mallow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mallow?
Name Census estimates that about 2,089 living Americans carry the surname Mallow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,076 residents.
How common is Mallow?
Mallow ranks #15,485 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,822 people with the surname Mallow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,089), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Mallow.
Has Mallow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mallow went from 1,652 recorded bearers to 1,822. That is an increase of 170 (+10.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,151 to #15,485.
What does the Census say about the background of Mallow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mallow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Mallow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,667 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mallow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Mallow (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 Mallow mean?
An Old English surname derived from the mallow flower or plant. 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 Mallow (0.61 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 share the surname Mallow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.