Dog name guide

Mallow

The meaning, background and naming story of Mallow.

Letters
6
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
M

Meaning and background

The story behind Mallow

Mallow refers to a family of flowering plants whose soft, rounded leaves and blossoms have a long history in gardens and herbal vocabulary. The English word developed from Old English *malwe* and Latin *malva*, rather than being a variant of Mallory. As a dog’s name, it has a gentle plant association and a clear two-syllable sound. It should not, however, be presented as a hereditary given name with an invented ancient personality meaning.

Meaning
English common noun for a mallow plant. Source
Origin
English mallow from Old English malwe and Latin malva, possibly ultimately from a pre-Latin Mediterranean word. Source

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About Mallow

Recorded as a dog’s name

Mallow appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2023 New York City dataset.

How to read this count

These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.

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Pronunciation and rhythm

/mæloʊ/

US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.

Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.

View dictionary notation

/mæloʊ/ · primary stress on syllable 1
M AE1 L OW0

These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.

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Sources and research notes (3)
  • New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
  • Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
  • City of Seattle Seattle Pet Licenses — DOG-only name aggregate, current source dated 6 October 2026 — Secondary spelling corroboration from dog-only licence rows. No cats, owner fields, national ranking or unique-dog claim.

References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.

More names to consider

Suggestions by sound, written form or existing editorial selections. Similarity does not imply a shared origin.

Gallo

Same final dictionary sounds

Rallo

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Shallow

Same final dictionary sounds

Aloe

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