2000
#12,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,319
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Maly
A surname of Czech origin meaning "small" or "little."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,629 Americans carry the last name Maly. That puts it at #12,821 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maly 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
2.6K
1 in 130,374
Census rank
#12,821
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,293 bearers of the surname Maly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12821st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maly, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maly
The surname Maly originates from the Czech Republic and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Czech word "malý" which means small or little. The name was likely initially used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone of small stature.
The earliest recorded instance of the Maly surname can be found in a document from the town of Brno, dated 1187. This document mentions a landowner named Jaroslav Maly. Over the centuries, various spellings of the name appeared, such as Malli, Maley, and Malyj.
In the 15th century, a prominent Czech artist named Vaclav Maly (1440-1510) gained recognition for his intricate woodcarvings and sculptures adorning churches throughout Bohemia. His works can still be admired in several historic cathedrals in Prague and other cities.
During the 16th century, Jan Maly (1515-1582) was a respected scholar and educator who taught at the University of Prague. He authored several influential texts on philosophy and logic that were widely studied across Europe.
The Maly name also appears in records from the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). A military officer named Jakub Maly (1590-1652) is documented as leading a cavalry unit in the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.
In the 19th century, a Czech playwright and novelist named Karel Maly (1815-1882) achieved prominence for his works that explored themes of Czech national identity and cultural heritage. His plays were widely performed and helped shape the burgeoning Czech literary canon.
Another notable figure was Alois Maly (1845-1920), a renowned archaeologist and historian who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman ruins and artifacts in the Balkans region. His excavations and research expanded understanding of Roman occupation in southeastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maly
Among Census respondents with the surname Maly, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Maly 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 Maly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,082
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 77
- Two or more races2.5% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maly
Maly 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
#12,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,543
+224 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 63 places
2020
#12,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,293
-250 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 585 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,299 | 2,319 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,236 | 2,543 | 0.86 | +224 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 63 places |
| 2020 | #12,821 | 2,293 | 0.77 | -250 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 585 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 Maly 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 | #12,236 | #12,821 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,543 | 2,293 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.77 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maly bearers went from 2,543 to 2,293 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 585 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,236 to #12,821.
FAQ
Maly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maly?
Name Census estimates that about 2,629 living Americans carry the surname Maly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,374 residents.
How common is Maly?
Maly ranks #12,821 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,293 people with the surname Maly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,629), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Maly.
Has Maly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maly went from 2,543 recorded bearers to 2,293. That is a decrease of 250 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,236 to #12,821.
What does the Census say about the background of Maly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maly, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Maly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,082 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Maly (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 Maly mean?
A surname of Czech origin meaning "small" or "little." 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 Maly (0.77 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 common is the surname Maly?
See how many people have the last name Maly on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.