Save Type Surname (from nickname) Usage French (Rare) Pronounced Pron. /mæl.ˈbrɒnʃ/ [key·simplify] Meaning & History Means "bad branch" in French, denoting a person who is on the bad side of a family tree. It could also possibly be a variant of Malherbe. Nicolas Malebranche was a French Oratorian Catholic priest and rationalist philosopher.