indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from given name, from occupation & from nickname)
Usage Anglo-Norman, Medieval English, French, Catalan
Other Forms FormsMalle, Malet, Mallett, Mallit, Mallitt, Malott, Mallot, Malette
Meaning & History
Originated in Norman France and spread to England following the Norman conquest of 1066. The surname comes from the given name Malle, an Old English diminutive of Mary or from the given name Malo, a popular form of the name of Saint Maclovius, a 6th-century Welsh monk who the church of Saint Maclou in Rouen is named for.Other French and English origins of the name are it being used as a nickname for an unlucky person, from Old French maleit meaning "accursed" via the Latin maledictus and its use as an occupational surname (which is present in Catalan as well) for a blacksmith, or possibly a nickname for a warrior, originating from the Latin malleus, which became the Old French mailet meaning "hammer".