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Home › Baby Names Directory › Mallary

Mallary

♀ Girl

Pronounced MAL-uh-ree /ˈmæl.ər.i/High

Meaning: Mallary is a spelling variant of Mallory, a Norman nickname-surname from the Old French malheure, 'unlucky, ill-fated.' Softened into a first name for girls in the nineteen-eighties, its stern original meaning is largely forgotten; parents choose it for its smooth, upscale surname sound, and Mallary is a personalized take on it.Medium

In 30 seconds: Mallary is a variant of Mallory, a Norman surname meaning 'unlucky.' It peaked around 1986 and reads as an eighties surname-name.
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Origin MediumEnglish, French
MeaningMallary is a spelling variant of Mallory, a Norman nickname-surname from the Old French malheure, 'unlucky, ill-fated.' Softened into a first name for girls in the nineteen-eighties, its stern original meaning is largely forgotten; parents choose it for its smooth, upscale surname sound, and Mallary is a personalized take on it.
U.S. rank (2018)#17231 ↘ Falling
2018 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1986
Total births (all-time)≈ 758

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 198619832018

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Mallary is a variant of Mallory, a Norman surname from the Old French for 'unlucky.' As Mallory caught on as a girls' given name in the nineteen-eighties, spellings like Mallary appeared, valued for the name's crisp, aristocratic sound rather than its literal meaning.

Mallary crested around 1986 at roughly seventy girls a year and eased off through the two-thousands. A Mallary from the peak is in her late thirties now. The standard Mallory is the durable form; the Mallary spelling is tied to its eighties moment.

Did you know? The character Mallory Keaton on Family Ties helped popularize the surname for girls in the eighties, and its rise brought spellings like Mallary — the harsh 'unlucky' root long since lost to a polished modern sound.
Overall data confidence 60%
References — Mallary — Variant of Mallory (Norman 'unlucky'); Family Ties popularized Mallory; 1980s

Variations

MalloryMalorieMallorie

Nicknames

MalLory

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Mallary…

Mallory— the standard spelling Mallary varies
Malorie— a sister spelling of the same name
Valerie— a like three-beat -ory/-erie girls' name
Hillary— a comparable surname-name of the era

Explore names like Mallary

By themesurname-namerespelled1980snorman

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Mallary mean?

Mallary is a form of Mallory, a Norman surname from the Old French for 'unlucky' — though it's chosen today for its sound.

How do you pronounce Mallary?

It's said MAL-uh-ree /ˈmæl.ər.i/ — three syllables, stress on the first.

Is Mallary a boy or girl name?

Mallary is used as a girl's name; Mallory has served both sexes but leans female.

How popular is Mallary?

Mallary was an uncommon spelling of Mallory that peaked in the mid-nineteen-eighties and has faded as the standard form prevailed.

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