Malcolm

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

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.

From Wikipedia

Malcolm first appears in the data in 1880 and has been recorded in 145 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 1992 with 1,495 babies (rank #206 that year). In 2024 it was given to 1,088 boys (rank #314). The name has been rising over the last five years.

Numerology of Malcolm

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Malcolm yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

6Destiny numberThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
7Soul urgeThe seekerIntrospective, analytical, drawn to the unknown.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
8PersonalityThe achieverDriven, capable, comfortable wielding influence.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

69,060

Total babies (all years)

145

Years in the data

1,495

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In Firefly: Malcolm Reynolds — captain of Serenity

Famous people named Malcolm

Malcolm XMuslim minister · b. 1925
Malcolm McDowellvideo game actor · b. 1943
Malcolm Turnbullinvestment advisor · b. 1954
Malcolm Fraserhead of government · b. 1930
Malcolm III of Scotlandpolitician · b. 1031

Share your Malcolm story

Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near Malcolm in 2024

Other boys' names starting with M

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1880	18	#417
1881	17	#426
1882	20	#410
1883	23	#348
1884	18	#442
1885	14	#516
1886	25	#345
1887	21	#364
1888	26	#366
1889	27	#344
1890	27	#341
1891	31	#303
1892	30	#344
1893	27	#343
1894	34	#303
1895	33	#322
1896	48	#261
1897	30	#345
1898	40	#293
1899	35	#297
1900	55	#279
1901	35	#300
1902	52	#258
1903	48	#266
1904	46	#282
1905	65	#244
1906	48	#294
1907	54	#289
1908	78	#241
1909	83	#242
1910	86	#265
1911	140	#210
1912	233	#225
1913	288	#220
1914	317	#240
1915	464	#221
1916	476	#225
1917	544	#206
1918	508	#236
1919	499	#236
1920	556	#227
1921	599	#224
1922	548	#240
1923	623	#207
1924	639	#210
1925	618	#218
1926	629	#217
1927	613	#217
1928	666	#205
1929	597	#213
1930	558	#229
1931	584	#214
1932	572	#215
1933	525	#219
1934	499	#231
1935	545	#221
1936	531	#219
1937	502	#236
1938	542	#222
1939	522	#227
1940	548	#226
1941	497	#249
1942	577	#234
1943	673	#216
1944	549	#245
1945	511	#255
1946	626	#248
1947	630	#269
1948	549	#290
1949	520	#295
1950	540	#290
1951	588	#282
1952	602	#282
1953	546	#302
1954	597	#291
1955	593	#296
1956	569	#311
1957	562	#326
1958	603	#308
1959	501	#348
1960	545	#332
1961	525	#345
1962	520	#342
1963	485	#354
1964	472	#360
1965	614	#305
1966	453	#354
1967	430	#362
1968	421	#380
1969	441	#373
1970	537	#349
1971	518	#354
1972	450	#371
1973	390	#392
1974	337	#428
1975	367	#401
1976	338	#423
1977	326	#440
1978	296	#470
1979	290	#487
1980	261	#534
1981	275	#509
1982	300	#491
1983	222	#567
1984	279	#505
1985	386	#434
1986	528	#359
1987	633	#324
1988	740	#308
1989	905	#274
1990	1,158	#241
1991	1,299	#230
1992	1,495	#206
1993	1,224	#237
1994	979	#277
1995	887	#301
1996	841	#313
1997	766	#338
1998	702	#366
1999	712	#366
2000	715	#368
2001	614	#409
2002	582	#427
2003	507	#487
2004	444	#533
2005	448	#540
2006	468	#541
2007	453	#568
2008	482	#545
2009	432	#599
2010	496	#521
2011	524	#497
2012	585	#467
2013	649	#442
2014	682	#442
2015	741	#421
2016	784	#408
2017	814	#392
2018	804	#394
2019	1,022	#327
2020	1,170	#291
2021	1,228	#281
2022	1,219	#284
2023	1,131	#293
2024	1,088	#314