The first name Mallory
A girl’s name from French meaning “unhappy”, “unlucky”, “bad”.
Pronounced /ˈmæləɹi/ 3 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
French origin
Mallory means “unhappy”, “unlucky”, “bad” in French.
From an Anglo-Norman nickname for an unfortunate person, from Old French maleure, malheure (“unhappy, unlucky”) (whence French malheur), from mal (“bad”) + eur (“fortune”).
More names that mean rich.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 32 girls were named Mallory, making it the 1,051st most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2022, with 35 births (#982).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Mallory with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Mallory at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 825 girls born in the United States were named Mallory, the 372nd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1986, when 3,325 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Mallory
13 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Mallory SwansonAmerican soccer player, born 1998
- Mallory JansenAustralian actress, born 1989
- Mallory BurdetteAmerican tennis player, born 1991
- Mallory FranklinBritish slalom canoeist, born 1994
- Mallory ComerfordAmerican swimmer, born 1997
- Mallory HaganAmerican politician, born 1988
- Mallory McMorrowAmerican politician (born 1986)
- Mallory VelteAmerican freestyle wrestler, born 1995
- Mallory CecilAmerican tennis player, born 1990
- Jane BirkinBritish-French actress and singer (1946–2023)
- John AsherAmerican actor and director, born 1971
- Kass MorganAmerican literary editor and writer, born 1984
More French girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Mallory mean?
- Mallory means “unhappy”, “unlucky”, “bad” in French.
- What is the origin of the name Mallory?
- From an Anglo-Norman nickname for an unfortunate person, from Old French maleure, malheure (“unhappy, unlucky”) (whence French malheur), from mal (“bad”) + eur (“fortune”).
- How popular is the name Mallory?
- In 2025, 32 girls born in England and Wales were named Mallory, ranking 1,051st. Its peak was 2022, with 35 births.
- Is Mallory a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 98% of the 60,144 US babies named Mallory since 1880 were girls.
- When was Mallory most popular?
- 1986 in the United States, when 3,325 babies were named Mallory, its highest rank at 83rd.
- How do you pronounce Mallory?
- Mallory is /ˈmæləɹi/, 3 syllables.
- Is Mallory also a surname?
- Yes. Mallory is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.