Malcolm
Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim is a Scottish Gaelic given name meaning "devotee of Saint Columba". Maol "shavenhead" is Scottish Gaelic for monk.
Meaning & Origin of Malcolm
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim is a Scottish Gaelic given name meaning "devotee of Saint Columba". Maol "shavenhead" is Scottish Gaelic for monk.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Malcolm
Malcolm first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 18 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1992, when 1,495 Malcolms were born — ranking #206 that year. As of 2026, Malcolm ranks #315 for baby boys with 1,087 births, gradually rising (+12%). In total, more than 71K Malcolms have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Malcolm
Phonetically similar names — useful when Malcolm is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Malcolm
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About the name Malcolm
Malcolm is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 71K births in the dataset. Malcolm's peak popularity came in 1992 when it ranked #205. Use the chart and map above to compare Malcolm's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1992 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "M" →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.