Malcolm
Meaning of Malcolm
Malcolm is a Scottish Gaelic classic—originally Mael Coluimb—meaning “devotee of Saint Columba,” the sixth-century monk who helped spread Christianity through Scotland. Worn by four medieval Scottish kings and revived for Shakespeare’s resolute heir in Macbeth, the name carries a quiet air of resilience rather than bluster. In the United States it has enjoyed a steady, mid-range presence for more than a century, hovering between the top 200 and 500 since records began; its recent rank around 300 suggests comfortable familiarity without tipping into overuse. Modern associations range from the principled audacity of civil-rights leader Malcolm X to the offbeat wit of television’s Malcolm in the Middle, giving the name both gravitas and an understated streak of humor. Pronounced MAL-kəm, it bridges formal history and contemporary approachability—equally at ease on a boardroom door or a playground roll call.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as MAL-kum (/ˈmælkəm/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Malcolm
| Malcolm X was an African American Muslim minister and civil rights activist who championed Black empowerment and Islam, remaining a controversial yet influential figure until his 1965 assassination. |
| Malcolm Timothy Gladwell is a Canadian journalist, author, and speaker, a longtime New Yorker staff writer with eight books, host of Revisionist History, and cofounder of Pushkin Industries. |
| Malcolm Young was an Australian musician, AC/DC cofounder and rhythm guitarist from 1973 to 2014, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and ranked 38th greatest guitarist by Rolling Stone. |
| Malcolm Moses Brogdon is an American NBA player for the New York Knicks who played college basketball at Virginia under Tony Bennett. |
| Malcolm McDowell is an English actor who rose to fame as Mick Travis in the Lindsay Anderson film If and became best known for playing Alex in A Clockwork Orange. |
| Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine, was a Republican businessman who served in the New Jersey Senate, twice ran unsuccessfully for governor, and was known for free market views and a lavish lifestyle. |
| Malcolm Baldrige Jr. - Howard Malcolm Mac Baldrige Jr. was an American businessman who served as United States Secretary of Commerce from 1981 until his death in 1987 and was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1988. |
| Malcolm I of Scotland - Mael Coluim mac Domnaill, son of Donald II, became king of Alba when his cousin Constantine II abdicated to become a monk. |
| Malcolm Harris Levitt is a British physical chemist and University of Southampton professor renowned for pioneering NMR spectroscopy methods, author of Spin Dynamics, and a Royal Society fellow and Davy Medal winner. |
| Malcolm Barclay-Harvey - Sir Charles Malcolm Barclay Harvey was a British politician who served as Governor of South Australia from 1939 to 1944. |
| Malcolm Andrew Ferguson-Smith is a British geneticist. |
| Malcolm John Edwards is a Cambridge educated British science fiction editor and critic, former deputy CEO of Orion who became chairman of Gollancz in 2015, and he lives in London with his wife, a public relations company CEO. |
| Malcolm D. Lee is an American filmmaker best known for directing comedies like The Best Man, Undercover Brother, Roll Bounce, Girls Trip, and Night School. |
| Malcolm Colin Cameron was an Ontario businessman and lawyer who served multiple terms in the Canadian House of Commons for Huron South and Huron West between 1867 and 1898. |
| Malcolm Michael Mays is an American actor, musician, and filmmaker who co-directed and produced a short film at 17 and is the nephew of Crips cofounder Stanley Tookie Williams. |
