2000
#1,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,434
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.28
Uncommon Last name
Maloney
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Maoldhomhnaigh, meaning "descendant of a servant of the church."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 34,622 Americans carry the last name Maloney. That puts it at #1,139 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,900 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maloney 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 Maloney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
35K
1 in 9,900
Census rank
#1,139
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,192 bearers of the surname Maloney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1139th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maloney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maloney
The surname Maloney is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Ó Maoildhúnaidh, meaning "descendant of the tonsured servant of St. Dúnaidh." It emerged in County Kerry, Ireland, in the 14th century.
The name is believed to have originated from the Irish personal name "Maoildhúnaidh," meaning "servant of St. Dúnaidh." St. Dúnaidh was a 7th-century Irish saint and abbot of Iona, one of the most significant monastic communities in medieval Scotland.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Maloney is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, dating back to the 14th century. The name is also found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of records from the 16th century Irish administration.
In the 17th century, the Maloney clan held significant influence in County Kerry, particularly in the Iveragh Peninsula. Notable members of the clan during this period include Donough Maloney, a prominent landowner and chieftain who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
As the Maloney name spread throughout Ireland, variations in spelling emerged, including Moloney, Melloney, and Mulloney. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the anglicization of Irish surnames.
One of the earliest recorded Maloneys in America was John Maloney, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. Other notable figures with the Maloney surname include Martin Maloney (1766-1842), an Irish-born Catholic priest who established the first Catholic church in Ohio, and Lily Maloney (1890-1967), an American actress and vaudeville performer.
Other prominent individuals with the Maloney surname include Francis Maloney (1894-1965), an American businessman and baseball executive who owned the Cleveland Indians, and Erin Maloney (born 1976), an American actress known for her roles in television series like "Lost" and "Justified."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maloney
Among Census respondents with the surname Maloney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maloney 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 Maloney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 26,665
- Black or African American3.6% · 1,094
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,083
- Two or more races2.9% · 872
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 259
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 219
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maloney
Maloney 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
#1,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,671
+237 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 10.40
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#1,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,192
-479 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 10.10
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,048 | 30,434 | 11.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,149 | 30,671 | 10.40 | +237 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #1,139 | 30,192 | 10.10 | -479 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 10 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 Maloney 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 | #1,149 | #1,139 | 0.9% |
| Count | 30,671 | 30,192 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 10.40 | 10.10 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maloney bearers went from 30,671 to 30,192 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,149 to #1,139.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Maloney
FAQ
Maloney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maloney?
Name Census estimates that about 34,622 living Americans carry the surname Maloney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,900 residents.
How common is Maloney?
Maloney ranks #1,139 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,192 people with the surname Maloney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (34,622), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Maloney.
Has Maloney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maloney went from 30,671 recorded bearers to 30,192. That is a decrease of 479 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,149 to #1,139.
What does the Census say about the background of Maloney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maloney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Maloney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (26,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maloney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (3.6%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Maloney (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 Maloney mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Maoldhomhnaigh, meaning "descendant of a servant of the church." 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 Maloney (10.10 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 Maloney?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Maloney is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.