At a glance
- In short
- Malcolm is a Scottish Gaelic name meaning devotee of Saint Columba, borne by medieval kings.
- U.S. rank 2025
- #272 of boy names
- Babies in 2025
- 1,257 (0.068% of boys)
- Trend
- Steady #290 in 2020 to #272 in 2025
- Peak
- #205 in 1928
- Top state
- #74 in Maine
- First recorded
- 1880
Meaning of Malcolm
Malcolm comes from the Scottish Gaelic name Máel Coluim, meaning "devotee of Saint Columba," the sixth-century Irish monk who spread Christianity in Scotland. Columba's own name is Latin for "dove." Malcolm is pronounced MAL-kum.
Four medieval kings of Scotland bore the name, including Malcolm III, who defeated Macbeth. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Malcolm is the son of King Duncan. Well-known modern namesakes include civil rights leader Malcolm X and author Malcolm Gladwell.
In the U.S., Malcolm reached its highest rank, 205th, in 1928, and was given to the most babies, 1,495, in 1992. After slipping to 599th in 2009, it has climbed back, and in 2025 it ranked 272nd with 1,257 babies.
How to pronounce Malcolm
English
- Pronounced MAL-kum /ˈmælkəm/
Popularity of Malcolm in the U.S.
Malcolm was the #272 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 1,257 babies. It peaked at #205 in 1928 and has been in the top 1,000 since 1880.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1880–2025 146 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,257 | 272 | ▲ 42 |
| 2024 | 1,093 | 314 | ▼ 21 |
| 2023 | 1,131 | 293 | ▼ 10 |
| 2022 | 1,220 | 283 | ▼ 2 |
| 2021 | 1,230 | 281 | ▲ 9 |
| 2020 | 1,170 | 290 | ▲ 37 |
| 2019 | 1,022 | 327 | ▲ 66 |
| 2018 | 806 | 393 | ▼ 1 |
| 2017 | 814 | 392 | ▲ 16 |
| 2016 | 784 | 408 | ▲ 13 |
| 2015 | 741 | 421 | ▲ 21 |
| 2014 | 682 | 442 | – |
| 2013 | 650 | 442 | ▲ 25 |
| 2012 | 585 | 467 | ▲ 30 |
| 2011 | 525 | 497 | ▲ 24 |
| 2010 | 496 | 521 | ▲ 78 |
| 2009 | 432 | 599 | ▼ 54 |
| 2008 | 482 | 545 | ▲ 23 |
| 2007 | 453 | 568 | ▼ 27 |
| 2006 | 468 | 541 | ▼ 1 |
| 2005 | 448 | 540 | ▼ 7 |
| 2004 | 444 | 533 | ▼ 46 |
| 2003 | 507 | 487 | ▼ 61 |
| 2002 | 582 | 426 | ▼ 18 |
| 2001 | 614 | 408 | ▼ 40 |
| 2000 | 715 | 368 | ▼ 2 |
| 1999 | 712 | 366 | – |
| 1998 | 702 | 366 | ▼ 28 |
| 1997 | 766 | 338 | ▼ 25 |
| 1996 | 841 | 313 | ▼ 12 |
| 1995 | 887 | 301 | ▼ 24 |
| 1994 | 979 | 277 | ▼ 41 |
| 1993 | 1,225 | 236 | ▼ 30 |
| 1992 | 1,495 | 206 | ▲ 24 |
| 1991 | 1,299 | 230 | ▲ 11 |
| 1990 | 1,158 | 241 | ▲ 33 |
| 1989 | 905 | 274 | ▲ 33 |
| 1988 | 740 | 307 | ▲ 17 |
| 1987 | 633 | 324 | ▲ 35 |
| 1986 | 528 | 359 | ▲ 75 |
| 1985 | 386 | 434 | ▲ 71 |
| 1984 | 279 | 505 | ▲ 62 |
| 1983 | 221 | 567 | ▼ 76 |
| 1982 | 299 | 491 | ▲ 18 |
| 1981 | 275 | 509 | ▲ 24 |
| 1980 | 261 | 533 | ▼ 46 |
| 1979 | 290 | 487 | ▼ 18 |
| 1978 | 296 | 469 | ▼ 29 |
| 1977 | 325 | 440 | ▼ 17 |
| 1976 | 338 | 423 | ▼ 23 |
| 1975 | 367 | 400 | ▲ 27 |
| 1974 | 337 | 427 | ▼ 35 |
| 1973 | 390 | 392 | ▼ 21 |
| 1972 | 450 | 371 | ▼ 17 |
| 1971 | 518 | 354 | ▼ 5 |
| 1970 | 537 | 349 | ▲ 24 |
| 1969 | 441 | 373 | ▲ 6 |
| 1968 | 421 | 379 | ▼ 17 |
| 1967 | 430 | 362 | ▼ 10 |
| 1966 | 453 | 352 | ▼ 47 |
| 1965 | 614 | 305 | ▲ 55 |
| 1964 | 471 | 360 | ▼ 6 |
| 1963 | 485 | 354 | ▼ 13 |
| 1962 | 520 | 341 | ▲ 2 |
| 1961 | 526 | 343 | ▼ 11 |
| 1960 | 546 | 332 | ▲ 16 |
| 1959 | 500 | 348 | ▼ 40 |
| 1958 | 603 | 308 | ▲ 18 |
| 1957 | 562 | 326 | ▼ 15 |
| 1956 | 569 | 311 | ▼ 15 |
| 1955 | 593 | 296 | ▼ 5 |
| 1954 | 597 | 291 | ▲ 11 |
| 1953 | 546 | 302 | ▼ 20 |
| 1952 | 602 | 282 | ▼ 1 |
| 1951 | 588 | 281 | ▲ 9 |
| 1950 | 540 | 290 | ▲ 5 |
| 1949 | 520 | 295 | ▼ 5 |
| 1948 | 549 | 290 | ▼ 21 |
| 1947 | 630 | 269 | ▼ 21 |
| 1946 | 626 | 248 | ▲ 7 |
| 1945 | 511 | 255 | ▼ 10 |
| 1944 | 549 | 245 | ▼ 29 |
| 1943 | 674 | 216 | ▲ 18 |
| 1942 | 577 | 234 | ▲ 15 |
| 1941 | 497 | 249 | ▼ 23 |
| 1940 | 548 | 226 | ▲ 1 |
| 1939 | 522 | 227 | ▼ 5 |
| 1938 | 542 | 222 | ▲ 14 |
| 1937 | 502 | 236 | ▼ 17 |
| 1936 | 531 | 219 | ▲ 1 |
| 1935 | 545 | 220 | ▲ 11 |
| 1934 | 499 | 231 | ▼ 12 |
| 1933 | 525 | 219 | ▼ 4 |
| 1932 | 572 | 215 | ▼ 2 |
| 1931 | 584 | 213 | ▲ 16 |
| 1930 | 558 | 229 | ▼ 16 |
| 1929 | 597 | 213 | ▼ 8 |
| 1928 | 666 | 205 | ▲ 12 |
| 1927 | 613 | 217 | – |
| 1926 | 629 | 217 | ▲ 1 |
| 1925 | 618 | 218 | ▼ 8 |
| 1924 | 639 | 210 | ▼ 3 |
| 1923 | 623 | 207 | ▲ 32 |
| 1922 | 548 | 239 | ▼ 16 |
| 1921 | 599 | 223 | ▲ 4 |
| 1920 | 556 | 227 | ▲ 9 |
| 1919 | 499 | 236 | – |
| 1918 | 508 | 236 | ▼ 30 |
| 1917 | 544 | 206 | ▲ 18 |
| 1916 | 476 | 224 | ▼ 3 |
| 1915 | 464 | 221 | ▲ 19 |
| 1914 | 317 | 240 | ▼ 20 |
| 1913 | 288 | 220 | ▲ 5 |
| 1912 | 233 | 225 | ▼ 16 |
| 1911 | 140 | 209 | ▲ 54 |
| 1910 | 86 | 263 | ▼ 23 |
| 1909 | 83 | 240 | ▼ 2 |
| 1908 | 78 | 238 | ▲ 48 |
| 1907 | 54 | 286 | ▲ 7 |
| 1906 | 48 | 293 | ▼ 52 |
| 1905 | 65 | 241 | ▲ 36 |
| 1904 | 46 | 277 | ▼ 11 |
| 1903 | 48 | 266 | ▼ 10 |
| 1902 | 52 | 256 | ▲ 38 |
| 1901 | 35 | 294 | ▼ 17 |
| 1900 | 55 | 277 | ▲ 17 |
| 1899 | 35 | 294 | ▼ 6 |
| 1898 | 40 | 288 | ▲ 51 |
| 1897 | 30 | 339 | ▼ 79 |
| 1896 | 48 | 260 | ▲ 56 |
| 1895 | 33 | 316 | ▼ 18 |
| 1894 | 34 | 298 | ▲ 43 |
| 1893 | 27 | 341 | – |
| 1892 | 30 | 341 | ▼ 44 |
| 1891 | 31 | 297 | ▲ 38 |
| 1890 | 27 | 335 | ▲ 3 |
| 1889 | 27 | 338 | ▲ 21 |
| 1888 | 26 | 359 | ▼ 3 |
| 1887 | 21 | 356 | ▼ 20 |
| 1886 | 25 | 336 | ▲ 162 |
| 1885 | 14 | 498 | ▼ 65 |
| 1884 | 18 | 433 | ▼ 87 |
| 1883 | 23 | 346 | ▲ 53 |
| 1882 | 20 | 399 | ▲ 17 |
| 1881 | 17 | 416 | ▼ 13 |
| 1880 | 18 | 403 | – |
Malcolm by state
Malcolm ranks #74 in Maine (2025).
Rank by state 45 states and DC
| State | Rank | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Maine | 74 | 16 |
| New Hampshire | 121 | 12 |
| Rhode Island | 140 | 8 |
| Oregon | 143 | 28 |
| Alaska | 165 | 5 |
| District of Columbia | 168 | 5 |
| Washington | 172 | 50 |
| Iowa | 180 | 23 |
| Massachusetts | 186 | 35 |
| Pennsylvania | 189 | 68 |
| Kansas | 189 | 21 |
| Indiana | 197 | 43 |
| Montana | 201 | 6 |
| Minnesota | 202 | 32 |
| Colorado | 210 | 31 |
| Utah | 214 | 24 |
| Wisconsin | 221 | 27 |
| South Dakota | 221 | 6 |
| Illinois | 224 | 53 |
| Michigan | 225 | 44 |
| Ohio | 226 | 58 |
| North Dakota | 226 | 5 |
| Idaho | 230 | 11 |
| Kentucky | 236 | 23 |
| Nevada | 243 | 12 |
| Connecticut | 249 | 13 |
| Nebraska | 266 | 9 |
| Maryland | 268 | 20 |
| Virginia | 269 | 32 |
| New Mexico | 270 | 7 |
| Missouri | 272 | 25 |
| Arizona | 295 | 26 |
| North Carolina | 309 | 39 |
| New Jersey | 313 | 27 |
| Georgia | 315 | 39 |
| California | 317 | 115 |
| New York | 330 | 54 |
| West Virginia | 330 | 5 |
| Tennessee | 335 | 26 |
| South Carolina | 348 | 15 |
| Oklahoma | 351 | 13 |
| Arkansas | 398 | 8 |
| Alabama | 422 | 12 |
| Texas | 485 | 69 |
| Louisiana | 487 | 9 |
| Florida | 489 | 37 |
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.
More people named Malcolm 9 more
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.