O'Malone Name Meaning, Origin and Heraldry

Search old registers for O'Malone and you will soon meet Malone too. Surname dictionaries give the meaning as “Descendant of a devotee of St John”.

Family crest and blazon

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named O'Malone, so the heraldry linked to Malone is a starting point, not an automatic right.

How the spelling arose

With its O' prefix, O'Malone keeps Malone intact and marks descent in the older style. Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms. The same family of names includes Malowney.

Want more than a summary? See the O'Malone family name pack.