Malcolm

Malcolm is a warm and welcoming Scottish appellation (originally Mael-Colium) that fits into that golden circle of names that are distinctive but not at all odd. A royal name in Scotland, Malcolm is also a hero name for many via radical civil rights activist Malcolm X.

Malcolm was the name of four Scottish kings--including the son of Duncan who succeeded to the throne after Macbeth murdered his father--and has been a standard in that country.

Denzel Washington named one of his sons Malcolm, as did Harrison Ford.

Actor Malcolm McDowell is one current bearer; other possible namesakes are writer Lowry, bestselling author and trendspotter Gladwell, media mogul Forbes, Sex Pistols musician McLaren and actor Jamal Warner. There have also been several Malcolms on TV--eg in "Malcolm in the Middle," "Firefly"-- and in the Outlander series. There were no less than three characters named Malcolm in the Harry Potter books.