Meaning & origin
What it means
Malcomb is a form of Malcolm. Malcolm goes back to Old Irish Máel Columb, meaning “devotee of Saint Columba.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Malcomb is a form of Malcolm. Malcolm comes from Scottish Gaelic, and ultimately from Latin.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1917. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Malcomb through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 105
- 105 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1965
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 1998. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 13 in 1965. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 192 as a first name in 2020; 707 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.
Malcomb’s family of names
In English usage, Malcomb as a surname has a related form in Malcolm.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Malcomb, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Roch
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Nils
“of the victorious people”
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Spiridon
“one who transports goods; a basket”
>99% boys