girl's name
Mallory
MAL-uh-ree
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 65,564
the United States
#372
2025 births
Mallory means unlucky, and it is one of very few names built on an insult — the Norman malheuré described someone ill-fated, and it became a surname before anyone used it as a first name.
- Mallory is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1986, when 3,348 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,019 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Mallory started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1914.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mallory over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 22 |
| 1920s | 71 |
| 1930s | 73 |
| 1940s | 250 |
| 1950s | 448 |
| 1960s | 381 |
| 1970s | 422 |
| 1980s | 15,239 |
| 1990s | 16,562 |
| 2000s | 14,376 |
| 2010s | 8,325 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,975 |
What Mallory means
Mallory means unlucky, or ill-fated. The Old French described misfortune attaching to a person, so the byname is uncomplimentary in a way few surviving names are.
Where Mallory comes from
Mallory is a Norman byname from the Old French maloret or malheuré — unlucky, ill-omened, built on mal, bad. Uncomplimentary bynames were common and most died out; this one survived by becoming a landed surname. Thomas Malory compiled Le Morte d'Arthur in the fifteenth century, largely while imprisoned, and gave English its standard Arthurian text. Its use as a girls' given name is American and dates from the 1980s.
Mallory in use
Mallory peaked in the United States in 1986, when 3,348 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in four of the seven markets we track — 372nd in the United States on 825 births, 656th in Canada, 1064th in England and Wales on 32 and 1371st in France on 35 — across 65,564 lifetime births. About 97 percent of recorded births are female.
How popular is Mallory?
In 2025, Mallory was given to 825 babies in the United States, ranking #372 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Mallory is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Mallory
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Mallory also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mallory over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Mallory
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Mallory in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Mallory
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Mallory — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Mallory
What does the name Mallory mean?
Unlucky — the Old French malheuré, built on mal, bad.
Why would anyone use an insulting name?
Uncomplimentary bynames were common. Most died out; this one survived by becoming a landed surname.
Who was Thomas Malory?
The compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur, written largely while imprisoned in the fifteenth century.
How popular is Mallory?
372nd in the United States, down from a 1986 peak of 3,348 births.
Is Mallory a girl's or a boy's name?
Mallory is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mallory?
Mallory has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Mallory?
Mallory is usually shortened to Mal.
Is Mallory a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mallory currently ranks #372 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.
Was Mallory originally a boys' or girls' name?
Mallory was given mostly to boys in the earliest US birth records and is now given almost entirely to girls.