2000
#14,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,897
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Maltese
A surname referring to a person from the Mediterranean island nation of Malta.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,100 Americans carry the last name Maltese. That puts it at #15,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,216 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maltese 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
2.1K
1 in 163,216
Census rank
#15,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,831 bearers of the surname Maltese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maltese, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maltese
The surname Maltese originates from the Mediterranean island of Malta, situated between Sicily and the North African coast. It emerged in the medieval period, with some of the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century.
The name Maltese is derived from the Italian word "Maltese," which means "of Malta." This suggests that the surname was likely given to individuals who hailed from or had strong connections to the island of Malta. The island's strategic location and rich history played a significant role in the spread of this surname across Europe and beyond.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Maltese can be found in the Codice Diplomatico dei Re Aragonesi, a collection of diplomatic documents from the Aragonese rulers of Sicily and Naples, which includes records from the late 13th century. These documents mention individuals bearing the surname Maltese, indicating their presence on the island during this period.
In the 14th century, the surname Maltese appears in various records and chronicles, such as the Annals of Gian Matteo Villani, a Florentine historian who documented events in Italy during the late Middle Ages. Villani's writings mention individuals with the surname Maltese, providing insights into their activities and influence in the region.
Notable individuals with the surname Maltese throughout history include:
1. Giovanni Maltese (c. 1435–1509), a Maltese scholar and diplomat who served as the ambassador of the Knights Hospitaller to various European courts.
2. Battista Maltese (c. 1560–1635), a Maltese architect and military engineer who designed several fortifications and buildings on the island, including the Sacra Infermeria, a renowned hospital building.
3. Niccolò Maltese (1685–1753), a Maltese painter known for his religious works and portraits, many of which can still be found in churches and museums across Malta.
4. Ercole Maltese (1788–1828), a Maltese writer and poet who played a significant role in the development of Maltese literature and the preservation of the Maltese language.
5. Giuseppe Maltese (1860–1927), a Maltese lawyer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Malta from 1920 to 1927, during the British colonial era.
The surname Maltese has also been found in various place names and older spellings of place names across Malta, further highlighting its deep roots on the island. Examples include Mdina (derived from the ancient Roman city of Melite), Rabat (meaning "suburb" in Arabic), and Birgu (formerly known as Vittoriosa).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maltese
Among Census respondents with the surname Maltese, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Maltese 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 Maltese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,680
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 101
- Two or more races2.2% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maltese
Maltese 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
#15,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,887
-10 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,070 places
2020
#15,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,831
-56 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,438 | 1,897 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,508 | 1,887 | 0.64 | -10 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 1,070 places |
| 2020 | #15,422 | 1,831 | 0.61 | -56 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 86 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 Maltese 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 | #15,508 | #15,422 | 0.6% |
| Count | 1,887 | 1,831 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.61 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maltese bearers went from 1,887 to 1,831 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,508 to #15,422.
FAQ
Maltese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maltese?
Name Census estimates that about 2,100 living Americans carry the surname Maltese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,216 residents.
How common is Maltese?
Maltese ranks #15,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,831 people with the surname Maltese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Maltese.
Has Maltese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maltese went from 1,887 recorded bearers to 1,831. That is a decrease of 56 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,508 to #15,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Maltese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maltese, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Maltese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,680 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maltese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Maltese (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 Maltese mean?
A surname referring to a person from the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. 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 Maltese (0.61 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 have the last name Maltese?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Maltese, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.