Find out how popular the last name Mally is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mally.

Mally, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mally surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mally in America

Mally is the 33990th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mally surname appeared 669 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Mally.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mally to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mally

The surname Mally originated in Scotland during the medieval period, deriving from a Scottish Gaelic word 'mala' meaning 'brow' or 'ridge'. It was likely an occupational name for someone who lived on or near a prominent ridge or hillside.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Mally date back to the 13th century in the county of Aberdeenshire, where the name was often spelled variations like 'Mallie' or 'Maley'. One of the earliest known bearers was John Mally, a landowner in the parish of Kincardine O'Neil around 1270.

In the 14th century, the Mally name spread to other areas of Scotland, including Fife and Angus. Historical records from this period include mentions of Thomas Mally, a merchant in St Andrews in 1387, and Robert Mally, a cleric in Brechin in 1421.

As the centuries progressed, the Mally surname became more widespread across Scotland. Notable bearers include Sir John Mally (1612-1683), a Scottish judge and Senator of the College of Justice in Edinburgh, and James Mally (1789-1864), a Scottish minister and writer from Perthshire.

Other early examples of the name can be found in England, where it was sometimes rendered as 'Malley'. One of the earliest English references is to a John Malley from Yorkshire, recorded in the Feet of Fines for 1301. Another was William Malley, a landowner in Wiltshire mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1523.

While not an aristocratic surname, the Mally name has a long history stretching back over 700 years in Scotland and parts of northern England. Other noteworthy individuals bearing this surname include David Mally (1637-1669), a Scottish covenanter minister, and James Mally (1768-1840), a Scottish poet and songwriter from Angus.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mally

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mally.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mally was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mally has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mally was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mally, please contact us.

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