Frequency: (593)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. English: from the medieval female personal name Mal(le), pet form of Mary (see Marie).
2. Indian (northern states): Hindu name found in several communities, from Sanskrit malla ‘strongman’, ‘wrestler’.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
