Mallon Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Mallon Family History

Mallon Family History

The ancient origin of the name Mallon was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Mallon include Mellan and Mellon. This name in Irish is O'Meallain and the latter variants are the anglicized forms of this. This Gaelic name is taken from the word 'meall', meaning 'pleasant'. This sept came from Ulster.

A sept or clan is a collective term describing a group of persons whose immediate ancestors bore a common surname and inhabited the same territory. It is also the case that many Irish septs or clans that are related often belong to a larger groups, sometimes called tribes. For example the 'Tribes of Galway' consisted of fourteen distinct families. The 'Tribes of Kilkenny' were ten families, etc.

Their territory was Meallanacht, O'Mellan's Country, which is presently in Cookstown in County Tyrone. Many of the sept spread to Armagh. The sept was a branch of the Cenel Eoghain from whom County Tyrone got its name. They were chiefly noted as joint hereditary keepers, with the Mulhollands, of the Bell of Saint Patrick, otherwise called 'The Bell of the Testament'. Some families of Mellan and Mallon in County Tyrone have allowed their name to become Mullen, which is a very common name in that County.The Mallon family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Mallon descendants.