Given name & surname · also Old French
Mallory
“an unlucky young woman; ill-fated”·“an unlucky young man; ill-fated”
Mallory is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “an unlucky young woman; ill-fated” (French) and “an unlucky young man; ill-fated” (French). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “an unlucky young woman; ill-fated” (French) and “an unlucky young man; ill-fated” (French). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old French.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Mallory through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 60,144
- 1,100 boys · 59,044 girls
- Most popular year
- 1986
- 3,348 babies
- 2025
- 825
- #372 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +18%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 0% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 825 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 372 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 17.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 3,325 in 1986. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (74). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 52,306 as a first name in 2020; 16,690 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mallory’s family of names
In English usage, Mallory has a short form in Mal. Mallory has a related form in Malorie. Mallory has a related form in Mallorie.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 19
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mallory
- Mallory SwansonAmerican soccer playerborn 1998
- Mallory JansenAustralian actressborn 1989
- Mallory BurdetteAmerican tennis playerborn 1991
- Kass MorganAmerican literary editor and writerborn 1984
- Mallory FranklinBritish slalom canoeistborn 1994
- Mallory ComerfordAmerican swimmerborn 1997
- Mallory HaganAmerican politicianborn 1988
- Mallory McMorrowAmerican politician (born 1986)
- Mallory CecilAmerican tennis playerborn 1990
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Mallory, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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