Malcolm
Malcolm was the 272nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,257 babies. Its best year was 1928, when it ranked 205th; the most babies were born in 1992 (1,495). Over the last ten years it has moved up 149 places. More babies were named Malcolm in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning devotee of Saint Columba · Scottish Gaelic
Say it MAL-kum /ˈmælkəm/
- Rank in 2025
- #272 boys, up 19 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,257boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19921,495 babies
- Total since 1880
- 70,328babies recorded
What does the name Malcolm mean?
Malcolm is a Scottish royal name from Gaelic Máel Coluim, "devotee of Columba". The first element is Old Irish máel, "bald, tonsured", used of a monk and so of a devotee; the second is the name of the 6th-century saint Columba, from Latin columba, "dove". DMNES records Latin forms such as Malcolmus in Scottish documents from 1011 and lists four medieval kings of Scotland of the name.
máel (Old Irish, “bald, tonsured; devotee”)Columb (Old Irish, “Columba, from Latin columba 'dove'”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Callum, Calum, Malcolmina.
See also: Scottish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Malcolm', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Malcolm', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Columba', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Malcolm', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Malcolm
The usual nicknames for Malcolm are Mal and Mac. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Malcolm in the last five years, 35 were named Mac, against 12 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mal · also for Malachi | Traditional | — | — |
| Mac · also for Mackenzie | Traditional | #696 | 2,062 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Malcolms go by each one.
Malcolm popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 119 since 1913.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #272 | 1,257 |
| 2020 | #291 | 1,170 |
| 2010 | #521 | 496 |
| 2000 | #368 | 715 |
| 1990 | #241 | 1,158 |
| 1980 | #534 | 261 |
| 1970 | #349 | 537 |
| 1960 | #332 | 546 |
| 1950 | #290 | 540 |
| 1940 | #226 | 548 |
| 1930 | #229 | 558 |
| 1920 | #227 | 556 |
| 1910 | #265 | 86 |
| 1900 | #279 | 55 |
| 1890 | #341 | 27 |
| 1880 | #417 | 18 |
How popular is Malcolm, counting every spelling?
Malcolm has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #285 for boys in 2025, against #272 on the official list, because Eric/Erick/Erik and Kash/Cash/Cache and Colson/Kolson/Colsen move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Malcolm?
1,257 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Malcolm (0.35 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Malcolm born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Malcolm.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Malcolm?
About 47,400 people born in the US named Malcolm are alive today, with a median age of 32; half are between 12 and 54. That makes Malcolm mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Malcolm by state
How common Malcolm was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maine (4.3×), New Hampshire (4.0×), District of Columbia (2.6×), Rhode Island (2.4×), Montana (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, South Dakota, Florida.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Malcolm: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Malcolm, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Malcolm · Sibling names for Malcolm
Questions about the name Malcolm
What does Malcolm mean?
Malcolm means “devotee of Saint Columba” (Scottish Gaelic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Malcolm?
Malcolm was the 272nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,257 babies. Its best year was 1928, when it ranked 205th; the most babies were born in 1992 (1,495). Over the last ten years it has moved up 149 places. More babies were named Malcolm in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Malcolm a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Malcolm in the US.
Where is Malcolm most popular?
In 2021–2025, Malcolm was most common in Maine (2.99 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and District of Columbia.