2000
#9,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Malott
A French occupational surname for someone who gathered or sold mallows, a type of plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,222 Americans carry the last name Malott. That puts it at #10,827 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malott 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
3.2K
1 in 106,379
Census rank
#10,827
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,810 bearers of the surname Malott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10827th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malott, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malott
The surname Malott has its origins in France, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "malot," which meant "bad little one" or "troublemaker." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was mischievous or caused trouble.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval manuscript compiled in 1086 for William the Conqueror. In this document, there is a reference to a person named "Malotet," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of Malott.
During the 13th century, the surname began to appear in various records across different regions of France. In the northern region of Normandy, there are records of a family named Malot who owned land and property in the village of Malotte, which may have contributed to the evolution of the surname.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Jacques Malott (1520-1585) was a French Protestant who fled religious persecution and settled in the Netherlands. His descendants later migrated to England and North America, where the surname Malott became more widespread.
Another early bearer of the name was Jean Malott (1645-1721), a French soldier who served in the King's Musketeers and participated in the Wars of Religion. His son, Pierre Malott (1673-1745), was among the first settlers of the French colony of Louisiana in North America.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Thomas Malott (1815-1892) was a successful businessman and politician in Canada. He served as a member of the Canadian Parliament and was involved in various industries, including banking and railroads.
Throughout history, the surname Malott has been associated with various places, including the village of Malotte in Normandy, France, and the town of Malott, Washington, in the United States, which was named after a family of early settlers in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malott
Among Census respondents with the surname Malott, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Malott 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 Malott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 2,473
- Two or more races5.4% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 100
- Black or African American1.3% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malott
Malott 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
#9,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,289
+162 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 303 places
2020
#10,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,810
-479 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 988 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,536 | 3,127 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,839 | 3,289 | 1.11 | +162 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 303 places |
| 2020 | #10,827 | 2,810 | 0.94 | -479 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 988 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 Malott 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 | #9,839 | #10,827 | -10.0% |
| Count | 3,289 | 2,810 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 0.94 | -15.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malott bearers went from 3,289 to 2,810 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 988 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,839 to #10,827.
FAQ
Malott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malott?
Name Census estimates that about 3,222 living Americans carry the surname Malott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,379 residents.
How common is Malott?
Malott ranks #10,827 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,810 people with the surname Malott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Malott.
Has Malott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malott went from 3,289 recorded bearers to 2,810. That is a decrease of 479 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,839 to #10,827.
What does the Census say about the background of Malott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malott, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) 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 Malott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (2,473 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (5.4%), 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 Malott (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 Malott mean?
A French occupational surname for someone who gathered or sold mallows, a type of 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 Malott (0.94 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 are called Malott?
See how many people have the surname Malott on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.