Malakoff Family History
Malakoff Surname Meaning
Possibly a shortened and altered form of Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) Malakhovsky, a habitational name from the village of Malakhovtsy in Belarus. Alternatively, perhaps an Americanized form of Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) Meylakhov, a patronymic from the Yiddish personal name Meylekh ‘king’ formed with the Slavic possessive suffix -ov.
Westernized form of Russian Malakhov: patronymic from the old personal name Malakh, a short form of the Biblical name Malakhiya (see Malachi).
Westernized form of Bulgarian Malakov: probably a patronymic from a nickname based on malak ‘young buffalo’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022