Girl · Germanic or Hebrew, with Middle English ending
Malkin
Say it: MAWL-kin
Meaning
A medieval English pet form of Matilda (Maud) or Mary, with the diminutive ending -kin.
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
So common among servant girls that 'malkin' became a word for a slattern or a scarecrow, and 'grimalkin' for a cat.
Its wave through time
No birth counts are recorded for this name in the records loaded here: it has been given to fewer than five babies a year, or not at all, since records began.
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Malkyn, Mawkin
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- Well-known works of literature
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.