Malcolm
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About 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 namesakes are writer Lowry; bestselling author and trendspotter Gladwell; Sex Pistols musician McLaren; and actor Jamal Warner. There have also been several Malcolms on TV — e.g., in Malcolm in the Middle, Firefly and in the Outlander series. There were no fewer than three characters named Malcolm in the Harry Potter books.
Malcolm is also given to girls.
Pronounced MAL-kuhm.
As of October 2026, Malcolm ranked #272 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #205 in 1928, Nameberry popularity #240.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #442 | 682 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #421 | 741 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #408 | 784 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #392 | 814 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #394 | 804 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #327 | 1,022 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #291 | 1,170 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #281 | 1,228 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #284 | 1,219 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #293 | 1,131 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #314 | 1,088 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #272 | 1,257 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Malcolm for boys
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Malcolm.
Malcolm on lists
Famous Malcolms
- Malcolm Scott CarpenterBoy
American astronaut
- Malcolm IBoy
IV, Kings of Scotland
- Malcolm XBoy
American civil rights activist
- Malcolm Stevenson ForbesBoy
American publisher (of Forbes magazine)
- Malcolm Bligh TurnbullBoy
29th Prime Minister of Australia
- (John) Malcolm FraserBoy
22nd Prime Minister of Australia
- Malcolm Leslie RifkindBoy
British politician
- MalcolmBoy
Jamal Warner, American actor
- Malcolm CowleyBoy
American novelist and poet
- Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor)Boy
English actor
- Malcolm BilsonBoy
American pianist
- Malcolm GetsBoy
American actor
- Malcolm David KelleyBoy
American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor
- Malcolm Robert Andrew McLarenBoy
English impresario
- Malcolm Timothy GladwellBoy
Canadian author
- MalcolmBoy
Jamaal Justin Subban, Canadian hockey player
- Malcolm James McCormick aka Mac MillerBoy
American rapper
- Malcolm Carswell FordBoy
son of actor Harrison Ford & Melissa Mathison
- Malcolm WashingtonBoy
son of actor Denzel Washington; twin of sister Olivia
- Malcolm YoungBoy
Scottish born, Australian rhythm guitarist of AC/DC
Malcolm in pop culture
- MalcolmBoy
character in Shakespeare's Macbeth
- MalcolmBoy
main character on TV's "Malcolm in the Middle"
- Malcolm "Mal" ReynoldsBoy
character on TV's Firefly
- Malcolm McGeeBoy
main character on TV's "Malcolm & Eddie," played by Malcolm,Jamal Warner
- "MalcolmBoy
" 1986 Australian film and its main character
- Malcolm TuckerBoy
character in The Thick of It
- Malcolm FitzBoy
Ezra's presumed son in "Pretty Little Liars"
- Malcolm ColonsayBoy
main character in Malcolm, and The Marquis Of Lossie, by George MacDonald
- Malcolm GraemeBoy
character in G. A. Henty's, The Lion of the North
- MalcolmBoy
son of Athena and Annabeth Chase's half,brother in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series
- Malcolm LandgraabBoy
several characters in "The Sims" computer games
- Malcolm Merlyn aka Dark ArcherBoy
born Arthur King, character on TV's "Arrow"
- Malcolm BeechBoy
character in film "Oblivion"
- Malcolm ReedBoy
chief armory officer; character from TV's "Star Trek: Enterprise"
- MalcolmBoy
an evil court jester in the adventure game series The Legend of Kyrandia
- MalcolmBoy
character in the Unreal Tournament game series
- MalcolmBoy
real name of Peter Pan on ABC's Once Upon a Time
- Malcolm FadeBoy
character in Cassandra Clare's "The Dark Artifices" trilogy
- Malcolm LandgraabBoy
character in the Sims franchise