Mallory
A surname usually explained as Norman French in origin, probably from a place-name or an old nickname meaning “ill-omened.”
The #2,048 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 17,564 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mallory is usually treated as a Norman French surname. Some writers connect it with a place-name such as Meilleray in northern France, while others derive it from Old French maleure, ultimately from Latin male auguratum, meaning something like “badly foretold” or “ill-starred.” The historical spellings are varied, including Malore, Malure, and Mallore, which fits a medieval French origin.
History
The name appears in medieval English records in several spellings, showing up among families settled in England after the Norman period. It is especially associated with the famous Sir Thomas Malory, author of Le Morte d'Arthur, whose surname is often linked by later scholars to French place-origin theories. In modern use, Mallory is established both in England and, through later migration, in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Sir Thomas Malory’s surname helped make the name widely recognizable in literary history, even though its exact geographic source is still debated.
From the historical record
“Pouike Malober and Prance* Mallory : St. Michael, Comhill, p. 38. 1716. Bapt.— Mary. d. Stephen Malary: Ciockford,i.o; West Rid. Cooit Dir., 0,3;NcwY<A,3+.o.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances