2000
#426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.67
Uncommon Last name
Malone
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Maoil Eoin," meaning "a devotee of Saint John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 76,748 Americans carry the last name Malone. That puts it at #489 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malone 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 Malone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
77K
1 in 4,466
Census rank
#489
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
67K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 66,928 bearers of the surname Malone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 489th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malone, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malone
Among Census respondents with the surname Malone, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Malone 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 Malone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.7% · 43,273
- Black or African American26.1% · 17,455
- Two or more races4.5% · 3,022
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,298
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 493
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 387
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malone
Malone 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
#465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,286
+2,029 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 24.17
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,928
-4,358 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 22.39
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #426 | 69,257 | 25.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #465 | 71,286 | 24.17 | +2,029 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #489 | 66,928 | 22.39 | -4,358 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 24 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 Malone 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 | #465 | #489 | -5.2% |
| Count | 71,286 | 66,928 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 24.17 | 22.39 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malone bearers went from 71,286 to 66,928 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #465 to #489.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Malone
FAQ
Malone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malone?
Name Census estimates that about 76,748 living Americans carry the surname Malone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,466 residents.
How common is Malone?
Malone ranks #489 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 66,928 people with the surname Malone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (76,748), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Malone.
Has Malone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malone went from 71,286 recorded bearers to 66,928. That is a decrease of 4,358 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #465 to #489.
What does the Census say about the background of Malone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malone, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) 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 Malone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.7% (43,273 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.7%), Black (26.1%), 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 Malone (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 Malone mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Maoil Eoin," meaning "a devotee of Saint John." 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 Malone (22.39 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 Malone?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.