Explore the Family Name Malay
The meaning of Malay
1. Americanized form of Rusyn (from Slovakia) Mlej: from an imperatival derivative of a dialect form of the verb mlieť ‘to mill’, used as a nickname for miller. Compare Maley 2 and Malley 3. 2. Ukrainian: metonymic occupational name from malay ‘bread made of corn, peas, or millet’. 3. Irish: perhaps from Ó Máille, see O’Malley. This form of the surname is very rare in Britain and Ireland, and is found mainly in Lancashire, England. 4. Filipino: nickname from Tagalog malay ‘consciousness, awareness’. 5. Filipino: ethnic name from Tagalog malay ‘Malay’. History: Ancestors of many of the Americans with the surname Malay (and also with the surnames Maley, Malley, and Mellay) came to the US in the beginning of the 19th century from the villages of Radvaň nad Laborcom and Zbudská Belá in present-day Slovakia (then they were part of Hungary). One of them, Andrej Macik Mlej, settled in NH; his descendants bear the surname Malay. Another, Michal Hrác Mlej, settled in PA; his descendants bear the surname Malley.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Malay in the United States?
Based on the decennial U.S. Census, the surname Malay decreased in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Malay was ranked 30,753rd in popularity among surnames in the United States with a count of 715, or approximately 0.27 per 100,000 people. By 2010, it had dropped to the 33,087th most popular surname, with an estimated 692 individuals bearing that name, representing about 0.23 per 100,000 people. This represents a decline of 7.59 percent in rank and 3.22 percent in count, with the proportion of people with the surname Malay per 100,000 decreasing by 14.81 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #30,753 | #33,087 | -7.59% |
| Count | 715 | 692 | -3.22% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.27 | 0.23 | -14.81% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Malay
Regarding ethnic identity, the decennial U.S. Census data reveals a shift in the distribution of the Malay surname across various ethnic groups from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander with the surname increased significantly by 74.56 percent, from 6.29 percent in 2000 to 10.98 percent in 2010. However, the percentage of individuals identifying with two or more races decreased substantially by 41.61 percent within the same period. There was also a slight decrease in the White population with this surname, from 87.13 percent to 84.25 percent. Furthermore, there was a 15.13 percent decrease in the Hispanic population bearing the surname Malay. The proportion of Black individuals and those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native with this surname remained at zero in both 2000 and 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 87.13% | 84.25% | -3.31% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 6.29% | 10.98% | 74.56% |
| Hispanic | 2.38% | 2.02% | -15.13% |
| Two or More Races | 3.22% | 1.88% | -41.61% |
| Black | 0.98% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |