Gender: Masculine
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: “follower of St. Columba.”
Eng (MAL-kəm)

The name is composed of the Scots Gaelic elements Máel (follower) and Coluim (Columba). The name was borne by four Scottish kings, the most famous being Malcolm III who killed the usurper Macbeth and whom the 1606 Shakespeare play Macbeth is based on.

Currently, Malcolm is the 527th most popular male name in the United States, (2010).

Other, more unusual forms of the name include:

• Malcom (German)
• Máel Coluim (Scottish)
• Malkolm (Polish/Swedish)