2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Malsack
A habitational name for someone from a place called Malsack.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Malsack. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malsack 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Malsack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malsack, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malsack
The surname "MALSACK" is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the late medieval period in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German words "mal," meaning "mark" or "stain," and "sac," meaning "bag" or "sack." This combination suggests that the name may have referred to an occupation or trade involving the marking or staining of sacks or bags.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. Here, a certain "Heinricus Malsack" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1271.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various municipal records and guild registers in the cities of Nuremberg and Leipzig. One notable individual from this period is Hans Malsack, a prosperous merchant from Nuremberg who was born around 1365 and is recorded as having traded in textiles and dyes.
The Malsack family seemed to have established a presence in the region of Franconia, as evidenced by the appearance of the name in the Franconian census records of the late 15th century. One prominent figure from this time was Konrad Malsack, a master weaver born in Bamberg in 1482, who is said to have introduced innovative techniques in the art of dyeing and finishing fabrics.
In the 16th century, the name Malsack can be found in several historical documents from the Duchy of Saxony, including the records of the University of Leipzig. One notable alumni was Johann Malsack, a scholar and theologian who graduated from the university in 1543 and later became a prominent Lutheran minister.
Another figure of note is Wilhelm Malsack, a military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) under the command of Gustavus Adolphus, the King of Sweden. He was born in Nuremberg in 1592 and is said to have earned distinction for his bravery in the Battle of Lützen in 1632.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the name have emerged, including Malzack, Mallsack, and Malzsack, reflecting regional dialects and pronunciation differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malsack
Among Census respondents with the surname Malsack, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Malsack 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 Malsack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malsack
Malsack 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-11 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,870 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 20,870 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 363 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 Malsack 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 | #154,907 | #155,270 | -0.2% |
| Count | 105 | 101 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malsack bearers went from 105 to 101 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #155,270.
FAQ
Malsack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malsack?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Malsack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Malsack?
Malsack ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Malsack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Malsack.
Has Malsack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malsack went from 105 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Malsack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malsack, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (2.0%). 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 Malsack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malsack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (2.0%). 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 Malsack (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 Malsack mean?
A habitational name for someone from a place called Malsack. 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 Malsack (0.03 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 Malsack?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.