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ArchivesRe: Mallory as a masculine family name
in reply to a message by erowell
I have no Mallories in my family, either male or female. But Mallory was originally masculine: it's derived from the French word malheureux "unfortunate".
Unlike English, French words often have "male" and "female" forms, depending on who you're referring to. Thus, if you were referring to a man who was unfortunate, you would say "malheureux"; but if you were referring to a woman, you would say "malheureuse".
Note that I used Babel Fish for my translations, and it's not the most reliable translators in the world (to say the least, lol). But the point is that Mallory comes from the male form of "unfortunate", not the female.
Miranda
"Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of diseased mind" -- Terry Pratchett
!!!!!!!!!! ← Maud, John, Alice, Peter, Emma, Edith, Lewis, Henry, Isabel, and Joseph
Unlike English, French words often have "male" and "female" forms, depending on who you're referring to. Thus, if you were referring to a man who was unfortunate, you would say "malheureux"; but if you were referring to a woman, you would say "malheureuse".
Note that I used Babel Fish for my translations, and it's not the most reliable translators in the world (to say the least, lol). But the point is that Mallory comes from the male form of "unfortunate", not the female.
Miranda
"Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of diseased mind" -- Terry Pratchett
!!!!!!!!!! ← Maud, John, Alice, Peter, Emma, Edith, Lewis, Henry, Isabel, and Joseph
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