Mallett Family History

English: from the Middle English female personal name Malot more rarely Malet a pet form of Mall Mald (i.e. Maud Matilda) + the diminutive suffix -ot or -et. In post-medieval forms of the surname final -ot was generally altered to -et(t). Though there are alternative Norman origins (see below), this is the usual source of the English surname.

English: of Norman origin a nickname from Old French maillet ‘hammer’ (see Maillet compare Mallet) used as a battle weapon. Robert Malet lord of the Honour of Eye (Suffolk) in 1086 was the son of William Malet of Graville-Sainte-Honorine (Seine-Maritime). The latter is referred to as Gulielmo agnomine Mal(l)eto ‘William surnamed Mal(l)et’ in the late 11th-century Gesta Guillelmi of William of Poitiers and the early 12th-century Historia Ecclesia of Orderic Vitalis.

According to tradition, this surname arose because of William's reputation for bludgeoning his enemies in battle (cum) malleo ‘with the hammer’. The story may be true or it may have been invented to explain the name, in which case see 3 below for an alternative etymology.

English: of Norman origin from the Old French personal name Malet a pet form of Malo. Compare Mallet.

English: of Norman origin a nickname from old French maleit ‘accursed’ (see Mallet). English: possibly a post-medieval variant of Mallard or Maillard. Altered form of French Mallet. Compare Mallette.