Find out how popular the last name Malone is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Malone.

Malone, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Malone surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Malone in America

Malone is the 465th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Malone surname appeared 71,286 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 24 people would have the surname Malone.

We can also compare 2010 data for Malone to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Malone

The surname Malone is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "O Maoilain" which means "descendant of the tonsured one". It is believed to have originated in County Fermanagh and surrounding areas of Ulster in the 12th century.

The name is thought to have evolved from the personal name "Maolan" which was a diminutive form of the Irish word "mael" meaning "tonsured" or "bald". The prefix "O" in O Maoilain indicated the name was hereditary, passing down through generations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Malone appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it is spelled "O Maelan" in reference to events occurring in the year 1181.

The name is also found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the 16th century, where it is spelled "O Maylone".

Notable individuals with the surname Malone throughout history include Edmund Malone (1741-1812), an Irish editor and literary critic who published an influential edition of William Shakespeare's plays. Marcus Malone (1834-1915) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Texas.

Cheryl Malone (born 1950) is an American television news anchor and reporter who has worked for various networks including CBS and NBC. Walter Malone (1909-2003) was an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader who performed with notable musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.

The name Malone is also associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Malone Park and Malone Road in Belfast, which were named after the Malone family who owned lands in the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Malone

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Malone.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Malone was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Malone has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Malone was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Malone, please contact us.

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