Malory
Malory was the 8163rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 1516th with 85 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,445 places. More babies were named Malory in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Mallory) unlucky (Norman nickname) · Anglo-Norman, Old French
- Rank in 2025
- #8,163 girls, up 1,148 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 13girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 198785 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,399babies recorded
What does the name Malory mean?
Malory is a spelling of Mallory, pronounced the same way, so it shares Mallory's meaning and origin.
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
Malory popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,163 | 13 |
| 2020 | #9,311 | 11 |
| 2010 | #4,080 | 37 |
| 2000 | #3,947 | 32 |
| 1990 | #2,116 | 62 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Malory, counting every spelling?
Malory is a spelling of Mallory, a name family that ranked #338 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #8,163 for Malory 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 Malory?
13 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Malory (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Malory 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 646 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Malory.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Malory?
About 1,400 people born in the US named Malory are alive today, with a median age of 29; half are between 20 and 37. That makes Malory 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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Malory: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Malory, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Malory
What does Malory mean?
Malory is a spelling of Mallory, which means “unlucky (Norman nickname)” (Anglo-Norman, Old French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Malory?
Malory was the 8163rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 1516th with 85 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,445 places. More babies were named Malory in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Malory a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Malory in the US.