Mallette History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Mallette is one of the names carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is based on the given name Malle, which is an Old English diminutive of Mary. The name Mary was originally, a Hebrew personal name meaning wished for child. The name Mallette is also derived from the given name Malo, a popular form of the name of Saint Maclovius, the 6th century Welsh monk who gave his name to the church of Saint Maclou in Rouen. Personal names derived from the names of saints, apostles, biblical figures, and missionaries are widespread in most European countries. In the Middle Ages, they became increasingly popular because people believed that the souls of the deceased continued to be involved in this world. They named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint.

Early Origins of the Mallette family

The surname Mallette was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Cidestan. "All the families of this name in England trace their descent from the renowned William Lord Mallet de Graville, one of the great barons who accompanied William the Conqueror." 1

"No figure stands out more vividly in the great battle of the Conquest than does 'Guillame whom they call Malet,' as Wace suggests for bravery." 2

William, Lord Malet of Greville was one of the greatest landowners in England, having 221 manors in Suffolk alone. He was ancestor of the Mallets of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall, and those now resident in Jersey. William Mallet was descended from Gerard, a Viking prince and companion of Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy, about 950. They held the castle of Graville near Havre. Maternally, William Mallet was a Saxon, descended from the Earls of Mercia, and more distantly related to Morcar and Edwin, Earls of Northumberland. William Mallet was at the Battle of Hastings, and was instructed by William the Conqueror to take care of the slain King Harold's body. 3 In 1068, he proceeded north with William and led in the reduction of the cities of Nottingham and York.

Robert Malet or Mallet (d. 1106?), Baron of Eye, was "the elder son of William Malet of Graville, and succeeded to his father's possessions on his father's death in 1076. At Eye, Malet built and endowed a monastery of Benedictine monks. From his position he enjoyed considerable influence in the eastern counties, and he took a prominent part in repressing the rebellion of Ralph, Earl of Norfolk, in 1075-6, and in the capture of Norwich Castle which followed. In King William's grant of the manor of Fracenham to Archbishop Lanfranc, Malet is styled vice-comes or sheriff, and later on, at the beginning of Henry I's reign, he appears as great chamberlain of England. In the struggle between Henry and Duke Robert, Malet espoused Robert's cause, and shortly after Henry's accession he was banished from England, together with other adherents of Robert, and his estates in England were confiscated and bestowed by Henry upon Stephen of Blois. He retired to Normandy, and is supposed to have been killed at the battle of Tinchebrai in 1106." 4

"Mallett is a slightly altered form of a very ancient name in Norfolk, where it has remained ever since the time of William the Conqueror, when Roger Mallet or Malet, lord of Eye in Suffolk, received an extensive grant of lands. The name of Malet was common in the adjoining county of Lincoln as well as in the distant county of Somerset in the reign of Edward I." 5

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide use of the name throughout ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Malet filius Henry. C. Baldwin Malet, Somerset; Sarra Malet, Cambridgeshire; and Harvey Malet, Buckinghamshire. 6

The Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. included Alan Malet in Derbyshire, Henry III-Edward I. 7

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Magota Malet and Yohannes Malet as holding lands there at that time. 6

Early History of the Mallette family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mallette research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1195, 1204, 1211, 1214, 1215, 1290, 1582, 1600, 1606, 1614, 1622, 1623, 1626, 1665, 1666, 1672, 1679, 1681, 1683, 1685, 1686, 1701 and 1706 are included under the topic Early Mallette History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mallette Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Mallette have been found, including Mallet, Mallett, Mallit, Mallitt, Malott, Mallot and many more.

Early Notables of the Mallette family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Malet (1582-1665) was an English judge and politician from Poyntington, Somerset, Solicitor General to Queen Henrietta Maria, imprisoned in the Tower of London for two years, Member of Parliament for Tregony (1614-1622.) He was the "great-grandson of Sir Baldwin Malet of St. Audries, Somerset, solicitor-general to Henry VIII, and...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mallette Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mallette Ranking

In the United States, the name Mallette is the 7,960^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Mallette is ranked the 378^th most popular surname. 9

Mallette migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Mallette were among those contributors:

Mallette Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A.E. Mallette, aged 29, who landed in America from London, in 1895
Agnes Mallette, aged 43, who immigrated to America from Glasgow, in 1897

Mallette Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Lila H. Mallette, aged 30, who settled in America, in 1911
Earl Mallette, who immigrated to the United States, in 1919
Arthur Mallette, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1922
Jason P. Mallette, aged 36, who landed in America, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Mallette (post 1700) +

Malcolm Francis "Mal" Mallette (1922-2005), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950
Brian Drew Mallette (b. 1975), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002
John Michael Mallette, American educator and biologist, Tennessee
Wannetta Mallette, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 2008 10
Mercedes Mallette, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2000 10
Joseph Léon Vital Mallette (1888-1939), Canadian politician, Member of Parliament for Jacques Cartier, Quebec (1935-1939)
Troy Matthew Mallette (b. 1970), Canadian former professional NHL ice hockey player who played from 1989 to 1998
Karl L. Mallette, Canadian politician in Ontario, Chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission (1973-1975)
Fanny Mallette (b. 1975), Canadian actress, nominee for a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

The Mallette Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ma force d'en haut
Motto Translation: My strength is from above.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html