boy's name
Malcolm
MAL-kum
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 79,797
the United States
#272
2025 births
Malcolm means devotee of Columba, and it is one of only two rising names in this group — 168th in Canada, 272nd in the United States, 362nd in Scotland, 539th in Ireland, 1333rd in England and Wales and 1629th in France, and climbing in our data rather than falling.
- Malcolm is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 1992, when 1,495 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,638 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Malcolm over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 209 |
| 1890s | 335 |
| 1900s | 564 |
| 1910s | 3,565 |
| 1920s | 6,113 |
| 1930s | 5,385 |
| 1940s | 5,686 |
| 1950s | 5,710 |
| 1960s | 4,907 |
| 1970s | 3,876 |
| 1980s | 4,551 |
| 1990s | 10,076 |
| 2000s | 5,145 |
| 2010s | 7,105 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,101 |
What Malcolm means
Malcolm means servant or devotee of Columba. The Gaelic joins a word for a follower to the saint's name, so it dedicates the bearer rather than describing them.
Where Malcolm comes from
Malcolm is the Gaelic Máel Coluim — a devotee or tonsured servant of Colum Cille, Saint Columba, who founded Iona in 563 and from there converted much of Scotland. Columba's own name is the Latin for a dove. Four kings of Scotland carried it, including the Malcolm who kills Macbeth in Shakespeare and in history alike, though the play rearranges nearly everything else. Malcolm X took the name after rejecting the surname Little.
Malcolm in use
Malcolm peaked in the United States in 1992, when 1,495 babies were registered, and our data marks it rising. It now ranks 272nd in the United States on 1,257 births, 362nd in Scotland on 10, 539th in Ireland on 6, 1333rd in England and Wales on 23 and 1629th in France on 20, across 79,797 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Malcolm?
In 2025, Malcolm was given to 1,257 babies in the United States, ranking #272 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Malcolm is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Malcolm
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Malcolm also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Malcolm over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Malcolm
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Malcolm in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Malcolm
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Malcolm — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Malcolm
What does the name Malcolm mean?
Devotee of Columba — the Gaelic máel, a servant, joined to the saint's name.
Who was Columba?
The saint who founded Iona in 563 and converted much of Scotland. His name is Latin for a dove.
Is Calum the same name?
Calum is Columba directly; Malcolm is the devotee of him. Closely related but not identical.
Is Malcolm rising?
Yes — one of only two rising names in this group, at 272nd in the United States.
How popular is the name Malcolm?
In 2025, Malcolm was given to 1,257 babies in the United States, ranking #272 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Malcolm a girl's or a boy's name?
Malcolm is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Malcolm?
Malcolm has 2 syllables.
When was Malcolm most popular?
Malcolm peaked in 1992, when 1,495 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Malcolm?
Malcolm is usually shortened to Mal.
Is Malcolm a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Malcolm currently ranks #168 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.