2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maltezos
A surname of Greek origin meaning someone from the island of Malta or with Maltese ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Maltezos. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maltezos 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Maltezos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maltezos, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maltezos
The surname "MALTEZOS" is of Greek origin, originating from the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. This surname is believed to have first emerged in the 16th century and is derived from the Greek word "Maltezos," meaning "a person from Malta."
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Malta was a strategic location for maritime trade and military operations in the Mediterranean. Many Greek sailors, merchants, and soldiers visited or settled on the island, and some of them adopted the surname "MALTEZOS" to reflect their connection to Malta.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "MALTEZOS" can be found in the archives of the Knights of St. John, a Catholic military order that governed Malta from 1530 to 1798. These records mention several individuals with the surname "MALTEZOS" who served as soldiers or officials in the order.
In the 18th century, the surname "MALTEZOS" began to appear in various Greek communities, particularly in the Aegean islands and coastal regions. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Ioannis Maltezos (1783-1849), a Greek merchant and philanthropist from the island of Chios, and Georgios Maltezos (1811-1892), a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the first ambassador of Greece to the Ottoman Empire.
Another prominent figure with the surname "MALTEZOS" was Spyridon Maltezos (1855-1924), a Greek industrialist and businessman who played a significant role in the development of the tobacco industry in Greece. He founded the Maltezos Cigarette Company, which became one of the largest tobacco companies in the country.
In the 20th century, Nikos Maltezos (1915-1987) was a renowned Greek composer and conductor who contributed greatly to the development of modern Greek music. His works included operas, ballets, and orchestral compositions, and he served as the principal conductor of the Greek National Opera for several years.
Lastly, Eleni Maltezou (1940-2022) was a prominent Greek historian and scholar who specialized in the study of Byzantine and post-Byzantine history. She authored numerous books and articles on the history of the Mediterranean region and served as a professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Overall, the surname "MALTEZOS" has a rich historical background, reflecting the cultural and economic ties between Greece and the island of Malta during the 16th and 17th centuries. It has been carried by notable individuals in various fields, including commerce, politics, industry, music, and academia, contributing to the diverse tapestry of Greek history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maltezos
Among Census respondents with the surname Maltezos, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Maltezos 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 Maltezos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races6.5% · 7
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maltezos
Maltezos appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 6,419 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 Maltezos 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 | #145,220 | #151,639 | -4.4% |
| Count | 114 | 107 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maltezos bearers went from 114 to 107 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 6,419 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #151,639.
FAQ
Maltezos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maltezos?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Maltezos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Maltezos?
Maltezos ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Maltezos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Maltezos.
Has Maltezos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maltezos went from 114 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Maltezos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maltezos, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Maltezos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maltezos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Maltezos (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 Maltezos mean?
A surname of Greek origin meaning someone from the island of Malta or with Maltese ancestry. 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 Maltezos (0.04 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 Maltezos?
Find out how common the surname Maltezos is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.