Given name & surname · also Irish, Latin
Malcolm
“devotee of St Columba”·“dove”·“devotee of? (cf. MARMADUKE) or gille ‘servant of”
Malcolm is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “devotee of St Columba” (Latin and Irish), “dove” (Latin and Irish), and “devotee of? (cf. MARMADUKE) or gille ‘servant of” (Latin and Irish). Other interpretations also occur. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “devotee of St Columba” (Latin and Irish), “dove” (Latin and Irish), and “devotee of? (cf. MARMADUKE) or gille ‘servant of” (Latin and Irish). Other interpretations also occur. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Latin and Irish naming traditions.
How it developed
From Scottish Gaelic maol, from Irish maol, from Middle Irish Máel Coluim, from Old Irish Máel Columb (“devotee of Saint Columba”), from Proto-Celtic *mailos, from Latin columbus.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Malcolm through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 70,328
- 70,209 boys · 119 girls
- Most popular year
- 1992
- 1,495 babies
- 2025
- 1,257
- #272 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +29%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,257 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 272 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 29.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,495 in 1992. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (115). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 40,938 as a first name in 2020; 10,408 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Malcolm’s family of names
In English usage, Malcolm has a short form in Mal. Malcolm has a feminine form in Malina. Malcolm has a related form in Malcom.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Malcolm
- Malcolm XAmerican Black rights activist (1925–1965)
- Malcolm McDowellBritish actor (born 1943)
- Malcolm TurnbullPrime Minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018born 1954
- Malcolm FraserAustralian politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (1930-2015)
- Malcolm III of ScotlandKing of Scotland from 1058 to 10931031–1093
- Scott CarpenterAmerican test pilot, astronaut and aquanaut (1925–2013)
- Mac MillerAmerican rapper (1992–2018)
- Malcolm I of ScotlandScottish king897–954
- Malcolm YoungAustralian guitarist (1953–2017)
Characters named Malcolm: Malcolm Reed (Star Trek: Enterprise).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Malcolm, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Duncan
“a dark warrior”
>99% boys
Colin
“high” · “of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Aidan
“one who is fiery; little fire” · “a fiery young man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Marcus
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
>99% boys
Quentin
“the fifth-born child”
>99% boys
Patrick
“patrician” · “a nobleman; patrician”
>99% boys
Blaine
“a saint's servant” · “a thin woman”
92% boys · 8% girls
Dillon
“resembling a lion; a faithful man”
89% boys · 11% girls