Show ContentsMallin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Mallin

What does the name Mallin mean?

Irish surnames are all based on the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Mallin is Ó Meallain, which is derived from the word meall, which means pleasant.

Early Origins of the Mallin family

The surname Mallin was first found in County Tyrone (Irish:Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Mallin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mallin research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mallin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mallin Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Mallin can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Mallon, O'Mallon, O'Malin, O'Mellan, Malin, Mellan and many more.

Early Notables of the Mallin family

More information is included under the topic Early Mallin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Mallin migration to the United States +

Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Mallin name:

Mallin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Patt Mallin, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 1
  • Clemt Mallin, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 1
Mallin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Mallin, who arrived in America in 1803 1
  • M Mallin, aged 25, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1820-1873 1
  • Pat Mallin, aged 21, who landed in New York in 1854 1
  • John Mallin, who landed in Alabama in 1858 1
  • William Mallin, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 1

Mallin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mallin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Rolland Mallin, who settled in Quebec in 1756

Contemporary Notables of the name Mallin (post 1700) +

  • Christopher J. Mallin, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1972 2

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. William Mallin, English Fireman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 3


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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