2000
#6,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Maloy
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolmhuidh, meaning "descendant of a devotee of Saint Maudez."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,341 Americans carry the last name Maloy. That puts it at #6,953 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,174 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maloy 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 Maloy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,174
Census rank
#6,953
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,658 bearers of the surname Maloy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6953rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maloy
The surname Maloy is believed to have originated in Ireland, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Maolmhuaidh," which means "descendant of the devotee of the Lord."
This name has its earliest known record in the Annals of the Four Masters, a renowned chronicle of medieval Irish history. The Annals mention a prominent family by the name of Ó Maolmhuaidh, who were chieftains in County Roscommon during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Mulloy, Mulley, and Mullee, before settling on the more common form of Maloy. These variations were often influenced by the local dialects and pronunciation preferences of different regions within Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Maloy can be found in the Parish Registers of Cavan, dating back to the late 16th century. These records document the baptism of a child named John Maloy in 1598.
Historically, the Maloy family held ties to several placenames in County Roscommon, including Muine Mhaolmhuaidh (anglicized as Mullinamoy), which translates to "the thicket of the devotee of the Lord." This placename likely played a role in the evolution of the surname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Maloy surname. One such figure was William Maloy (1638-1714), an Irish Catholic priest and philosopher who was a prominent member of the Jacobite movement in Ireland during the late 17th century.
Another notable Maloy was John Maloy (1786-1861), an Irish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century.
In the realm of literature, Mary Maloy (1887-1966) was an Irish poet and writer who gained recognition for her collections of poetry and her contributions to the Irish Literary Revival movement of the early 20th century.
The Maloy surname also has connections to the military, with Major General James Maloy (1894-1962) serving as a highly decorated officer in the United States Army during World War II and the Korean War.
Lastly, Patrick Maloy (1934-2014) was a renowned Irish artist and sculptor, known for his public works and sculptures that adorned various cities across Ireland and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maloy
Among Census respondents with the surname Maloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Maloy 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 Maloy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 3,726
- Black or African American11.2% · 524
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 177
- Two or more races3.7% · 173
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maloy
Maloy 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
#6,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,068
+282 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#6,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,658
-410 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,535 | 4,786 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,664 | 5,068 | 1.72 | +282 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #6,953 | 4,658 | 1.56 | -410 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 289 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 Maloy 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 | #6,664 | #6,953 | -4.3% |
| Count | 5,068 | 4,658 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.72 | 1.56 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maloy bearers went from 5,068 to 4,658 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,664 to #6,953.
FAQ
Maloy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maloy?
Name Census estimates that about 5,341 living Americans carry the surname Maloy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,174 residents.
How common is Maloy?
Maloy ranks #6,953 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,658 people with the surname Maloy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,341), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Maloy.
Has Maloy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maloy went from 5,068 recorded bearers to 4,658. That is a decrease of 410 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,664 to #6,953.
What does the Census say about the background of Maloy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Maloy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (3,726 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maloy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (11.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Maloy (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 Maloy mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Maolmhuidh, meaning "descendant of a devotee of Saint Maudez." 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 Maloy (1.56 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 Americans have the surname Maloy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.