Mallory
Mallory was the 372nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 825 babies. Its best year was 1986, when it ranked 83rd with 3,325 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 20 places. More babies were named Mallory in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning unlucky (Norman nickname) · Anglo-Norman, Old French
Say it MAL-uh-ree /ˈmæləri/
- Rank in 2025
- #372 girls, up 194 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 825girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19863,325 babies
- Total since 1880
- 60,144babies recorded
What does the name Mallory mean?
Mallory is an English surname from an Anglo-Norman nickname for an unlucky or unfortunate person, from Old French maleuré, "unhappy, unlucky", from mal, "bad", and eür, "fortune". Wiktionary gives this derivation. Sir Thomas Malory, author of Le Morte d'Arthur, bore an early form. As a girl's name it became popular in the US in the 1980s.
maleuré (Old French, “unlucky, unfortunate”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Malory, Mallorie.
See also: French names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mallory', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Mallory', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Mallory popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,100 since 1914.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #372 | 825 |
| 2020 | #566 | 521 |
| 2010 | #281 | 1,173 |
| 2000 | #213 | 1,466 |
| 1990 | #162 | 1,782 |
| 1980 | #4,439 | 17 |
| 1970 | #3,380 | 19 |
| 1960 | #3,463 | 14 |
| 1950 | #1,890 | 26 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Mallory, counting every spelling?
Mallory is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #338 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #372 for Mallory on its own. Together these spellings went to 977 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mallory | 825 | #372 | 3,448 |
| Mallorie | 67 | #2,601 | 277 |
| Malorie | 54 | #3,057 | 243 |
| Malory | 13 | #8,163 | 80 |
| Mallori | 11 | #9,249 | 47 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Mallory?
825 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mallory (0.23 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Mallory born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Mallory.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mallory?
About 57,900 people born in the US named Mallory are alive today, with a median age of 28; half are between 18 and 37. That makes Mallory mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Mallory by state
How common Mallory was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (3.9×), Maine (3.2×), Kentucky (3.1×), South Carolina (2.4×), Mississippi (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, New York, Arizona.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Mallory: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mallory, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mallory · Sibling names for Mallory
Questions about the name Mallory
What does Mallory mean?
Mallory means “unlucky (Norman nickname)” (Anglo-Norman, Old French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Mallory?
Mallory was the 372nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 825 babies. Its best year was 1986, when it ranked 83rd with 3,325 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 20 places. More babies were named Mallory in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Mallory a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Mallory in the US.
Where is Mallory most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mallory was most common in West Virginia (1.64 per 1,000 girls), followed by Wyoming and Maine.