2000
#2,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.95
Uncommon Last name
Malloy
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Maolmhuidh," meaning "descendant of a devotee of Saint Mochuda."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,375 Americans carry the last name Malloy. That puts it at #2,211 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,653 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Malloy 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 Malloy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,653
Census rank
#2,211
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,024 bearers of the surname Malloy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2211th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Malloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Malloy
The surname Malloy originated from Ireland, specifically from the Gaelic name Ó Mallaidh, which means "descendant of the tonsured one." This name dates back to the early medieval period in Ireland, around the 10th century.
Malloy is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Mallaidh, which was commonly found in County Mayo and parts of Connacht. The name is derived from the word "malla," meaning "tonsured" or "cropped hair," referring to the tonsured hairstyle of monks.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Malloy can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention several individuals with the name Ó Mallaidh, indicating the name's longstanding presence in Ireland.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Malloy was Muircheartach Ó Mallaidh, a 12th-century chieftain from County Mayo. He is mentioned in several historical records, including the Annals of Loch Cé, which document his involvement in local conflicts and political affairs.
Another notable bearer of the name was Seán Ó Mallaidh, a 16th-century Irish poet and scholar from County Mayo. He was renowned for his poetic works and contributions to Irish literature.
In the 17th century, the name Malloy appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of records related to land grants and official appointments in Ireland during the Tudor period. This indicates that the Malloy family held positions of influence and land ownership during this time.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Malloy was associated with several prominent figures in Ireland and abroad. Francis Malloy (1787-1868) was an Irish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania.
Another notable individual was Sir Joseph Malloy (1895-1965), an Irish judge and politician who served as the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland from 1953 to 1960.
The surname Malloy has also been found in various historical records and documents, such as parish registers, census records, and land deeds, providing insights into the geographical distribution and migration patterns of the family over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Malloy
Among Census respondents with the surname Malloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Malloy 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 Malloy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 12,212
- Black or African American16.4% · 2,628
- Two or more races3.4% · 542
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 472
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Malloy
Malloy 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
#2,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,546
+490 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 5.61
Rank movement Down 130 places
2020
#2,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,024
-522 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.36
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,070 | 16,056 | 5.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,200 | 16,546 | 5.61 | +490 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 130 places |
| 2020 | #2,211 | 16,024 | 5.36 | -522 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11 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 Malloy 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 | #2,200 | #2,211 | -0.5% |
| Count | 16,546 | 16,024 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.61 | 5.36 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Malloy bearers went from 16,546 to 16,024 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,200 to #2,211.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Malloy
FAQ
Malloy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Malloy?
Name Census estimates that about 18,375 living Americans carry the surname Malloy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,653 residents.
How common is Malloy?
Malloy ranks #2,211 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,024 people with the surname Malloy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,375), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Malloy.
Has Malloy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Malloy went from 16,546 recorded bearers to 16,024. That is a decrease of 522 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,200 to #2,211.
What does the Census say about the background of Malloy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Malloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Malloy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (12,212 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Malloy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (16.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Malloy (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 Malloy mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Maolmhuidh," meaning "descendant of a devotee of Saint Mochuda." 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 Malloy (5.36 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 surname Malloy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.