NameCensus.

UK surname

Mallett

An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hammers and mallets.

In the 1881 census there were 2,633 people recorded with the Mallett surname, ranking it #1,687 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,521, ranked #1,927, down from #1,687 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Broadland, South Somerset and Mid Suffolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mallett is 3,889 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.7%.

1881 census count

2,633

Ranked #1,687

Modern count

3,521

2016, ranked #1,927

Peak year

1911

3,889 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mallett had 2,633 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,687 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,521 in 2016, ranked #1,927.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,889 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mallett surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mallett surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mallett surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mallett over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,537 #1,862
1861 historical 1,572 #1,814
1881 historical 2,633 #1,687
1891 historical 2,968 #1,588
1901 historical 3,423 #1,625
1911 historical 3,889 #1,323
1997 modern 3,745 #1,732
1998 modern 3,848 #1,751
1999 modern 3,850 #1,767
2000 modern 3,782 #1,785
2001 modern 3,696 #1,786
2002 modern 3,773 #1,798
2003 modern 3,646 #1,821
2004 modern 3,656 #1,812
2005 modern 3,577 #1,827
2006 modern 3,513 #1,861
2007 modern 3,548 #1,857
2008 modern 3,534 #1,878
2009 modern 3,580 #1,907
2010 modern 3,629 #1,923
2011 modern 3,571 #1,928
2012 modern 3,546 #1,896
2013 modern 3,570 #1,919
2014 modern 3,595 #1,917
2015 modern 3,541 #1,929
2016 modern 3,521 #1,927

Geography

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Where Malletts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lambeth, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Broadland, South Somerset, Mid Suffolk and West Devon. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk
5 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Broadland 018 Broadland
2 Broadland 014 Broadland
3 South Somerset 021 South Somerset
4 Mid Suffolk 010 Mid Suffolk
5 West Devon 003 West Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mallett

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mallett surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mallett

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mallett, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Mallett surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Mallett household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mallett is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mallett is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mallett falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mallett is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mallett, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mallett

The surname Mallett is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "mallet", which means a small hammer or mallet. The name first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is believed that the name was originally an occupational name for a maker or user of mallets, which were used in various trades such as carpentry and blacksmithing.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Mallet" and "Mallett". The name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Wiltshire, Somerset, and Dorset in southwest England during the medieval period.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "Mallet" and "Mallet". During this time, the name was also associated with several places in England, such as Mallett Court in Somerset and Mallett Priory in Wiltshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Mallett was Sir Thomas Mallett (c. 1292-1340), a prominent English knight and landowner from Somerset. Another notable figure was Sir Baldwin Mallett (c. 1370-1416), a Member of Parliament and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.

In the 16th century, the name was well-established in England, and several notable individuals bore the surname. One such person was Francis Mallett (c. 1525-1570), an English politician and Member of Parliament. Another was Sir Thomas Mallett (c. 1545-1604), a military leader and member of the Privy Council of England.

As the surname spread throughout England, it also appeared in various spellings, such as Mallette, Mallit, and Mallet. The latter spelling was particularly common in the southern counties of England and gave rise to the French variant "Mallet".

Notable individuals with the surname Mallett in later centuries include Robert Mallett (1810-1881), an English politician and landowner, and Sir Robert Mallett (1861-1934), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of several British territories.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mallett families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mallett surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Norfolk leads with 455 Malletts recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.37x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 455 11.37x
Middlesex 383 1.47x
Devon 293 5.41x
Suffolk 237 7.47x
Surrey 215 1.69x
Cornwall 150 5.09x
Kent 99 1.11x
Lancashire 99 0.32x
Yorkshire 70 0.27x
Warwickshire 68 1.04x
Essex 56 1.09x
Gloucestershire 55 1.08x
Derbyshire 41 1.01x
Oxfordshire 38 2.36x
Channel Islands 37 4.80x
Glamorgan 37 0.82x
Nottinghamshire 36 1.03x
Hampshire 33 0.62x
Staffordshire 30 0.34x
Lincolnshire 29 0.70x
Somerset 27 0.64x
Huntingdonshire 23 4.45x
Sussex 17 0.39x
Durham 15 0.19x
Berkshire 14 0.72x
Northumberland 14 0.36x
Buckinghamshire 13 0.83x
Cambridgeshire 12 0.73x
Monmouthshire 10 0.53x
Worcestershire 10 0.29x
Leicestershire 9 0.31x
Cheshire 8 0.14x
Bedfordshire 7 0.52x
Herefordshire 5 0.47x
Hertfordshire 5 0.28x
Denbighshire 4 0.41x
Dorset 4 0.23x
Northamptonshire 2 0.08x
Royal Navy 2 0.64x
Shropshire 2 0.09x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.04x
Angus 1 0.04x
Cumberland 1 0.04x
Westmorland 1 0.17x
Wiltshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 78 Malletts recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.44x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 78 3.44x
Islington London 62 2.46x
Halvergate 51 1186.05x
Stoke Damerel 51 13.45x
St Marylebone London 47 3.38x
St Pancras London 40 1.91x
Great Yarmouth 35 10.55x
Chelsea London 31 3.95x
Camberwell 30 1.80x
Plymouth St Andrew 30 7.19x
Heigham 28 13.03x
Lowestoft 27 18.02x
St Cleer 22 86.07x
St Helier 22 8.76x
Barrow In Furness 21 5.00x
Ipswich St Margaret 21 19.51x
Kessingland 21 191.78x
Liskeard 21 42.58x
Gorleston 19 23.58x
Norwich St James 19 60.49x
Glossop Dale 18 9.43x
Orford 18 176.13x
Birmingham 17 0.78x
Portsea 17 1.63x
St Gluvias Penryn 17 71.97x
Tavistock 17 27.54x
West Ham 16 1.41x
Hampstead London 15 3.70x
Ipswich St Clement 15 18.61x
Mile End Old Town 15 3.65x
Rotherhithe 15 4.66x
Clerkenwell London 14 2.28x
Grundisburgh 14 191.00x
Herringfleet 14 669.86x
Liverpool 14 0.75x
Plymouth Charles The 14 5.86x
Bromley London 13 2.27x
Paddington London 13 1.36x
Plumstead 13 4.39x
Battersea 12 1.25x
Kingsteignton 12 79.63x
Menheniot 12 98.04x
Newington 12 1.25x
Norwich St Peter 12 45.68x
Shoreditch London 12 1.06x
Snenton 12 8.70x
Sutton St Edmunds 12 203.74x
Bermondsey 11 1.42x
Duloe 11 127.31x
East Carleton 11 402.93x
Ecclesall Bierlow 11 2.10x
Great Walsingham 11 271.60x
Huntingdon St John 11 73.43x
Lakenham 11 19.34x
Southwark St George Martyr 11 2.10x
St George Hanover 11 3.24x
St Gluvias 11 66.63x
Tottenham 11 2.65x
Wiggenhall St Mary Virgin 11 385.96x
Wolborough 11 16.06x
Bethnal Green London 10 0.88x
Bromley 10 7.39x
Crediton 10 19.47x
East Dereham 10 19.77x
Hackford In Forehoe 10 561.80x
Norwich St Giles 10 78.00x
Nottingham St Mary 10 1.10x
Putney 10 8.43x
Sittingbourne 10 14.26x
South Tawton 10 89.45x
Stretton On Foss 10 289.02x
Birkin 9 548.78x
Burton Upon Trent 9 4.38x
Great Gransden 9 158.73x
Hornsey 9 2.73x
Monken Hadley 9 86.46x
Sparkford 9 400.00x
Trimley St Mary 9 241.29x
Wisbech St Peter 9 10.88x
Woodbridge 9 22.20x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mallett surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 174
Elizabeth 107
Sarah 80
Emma 45
Jane 43
Eliza 40
Emily 40
Ellen 36
Ann 30
Alice 29
Annie 27
Louisa 25
Hannah 23
Martha 23
Caroline 22
Charlotte 22
Edith 20
Kate 19
Maria 19
Florence 18
Catherine 17
Lucy 16
Bessie 14
Susan 13
Ada 12
Amelia 12
Clara 12
Esther 12
Harriet 12
Margaret 12
Agnes 11
Fanny 10
Harriett 10
Jessie 10
Rosa 10
Sophia 10
Minnie 9
Susannah 9
Frances 8
Rose 8
Anna 7
Ethel 7
Matilda 7
Amy 6
Anne 6
Elizth. 6
Rhoda 6
Eleanor 5
Laura 5
Rebecca 5

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mallett surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 192
John 165
George 90
James 78
Thomas 64
Henry 61
Robert 49
Charles 48
Frederick 43
Joseph 43
Alfred 32
Arthur 28
Edward 28
Richard 26
Samuel 25
Walter 21
Albert 17
Edwin 14
Herbert 12
Francis 11
Frank 10
Harry 8
Benjamin 7
Ernest 7
Joshua 7
Stephen 7
Wm. 7
David 6
Horace 6
Fred 5
Geo. 5
Percy 5
Christopher 4
Daniel 4
Edgar 4
Frederic 4
Jonathan 4
Edwd. 3
Fredrick 3
Isaac 3
Mark 3
Philip 3
Sidney 3
Abraham 2
Archibald 2
Clement 2
Farmer 2
Josiah 2
Nicholas 2
Reuben 2

FAQ

Mallett surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mallett surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,633 people were recorded with the Mallett surname. That placed it at #1,687 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mallett surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,521 in 2016. That gives Mallett a modern rank of #1,927.

What does the Mallett surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hammers and mallets.

What does the Mallett map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mallett bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.