Malcolm

maleScottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Mael Coluim

Traditionally interpreted as 'disciple' or 'servant of Saint Columba'.

Origin: Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Mael Coluim

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #45 in New Zealand in 1956. See regions.

Malcolm: Recorded since 1952, it reached #45 in 1956, and it stood at #509 in 2025.

6registrars recorded it
127times a registrar ranked it
74years from first to last
#45highest recorded position
22groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Malcolm's record

Held a top-100 place for 25 years running. Names by top-100 run

MAL-kəm/ˈmælkəm/

Compare Malcolm Run Name Checker on Malcolm

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (6) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Mael Coluim
Meaning: Traditionally interpreted as 'disciple' or 'servant of Saint Columba'.
Pronunciation: MAL-kəm
Syllables: 2
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: male
Language family: Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Mael Coluim

Popularity

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#472
1997	#661
1998	#716
1999	#809
2000	#1889
2001	#1027
2002	#950
2003	#976
2004	#999
2005	#891
2006	#1168
2007	#1666
2008	#1294
2009	#1067
2010	#1483
2011	#1909
2012	#1152
2013	#1617
2014	#1935
2015	#1236
2016	#1271
2017	#1042
2018	#1158
2019	#1189
2020	#962
2021	#963
2022	#1143
2023	#890
2024	#1162
2025	#1307

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 49 of the 62 years from 1964 to 2025.

In 2025: #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #1307 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 6 national registrars across 6 regions, 1952–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #52 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1307 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys

Malcolm appears in 5 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, with 49 ranked years and 451 births registered; the earliest is New South Wales, Australia · Boys, from 1952.

Malcolm across 5 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Malcolm's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#139 (1964)	#127 (1966)	#509 (2025)	49 of 62	451 (1964–2025)	29 (1974)
England and Wales · Boys	#472 (1996)	#472 (1996)	#1307 (2025)	30 of 30	636 (1996–2025)	39 (1996)
New South Wales, Australia · Boys	#52 (1952)	#45 (1958)	#89 (1976)	25 of 25	3,308 (1952–1976)	183 (1956)
New Zealand · Boys	#53 (1954)	#45 (1956)	#89 (1975)	20 of 22	2,398 (1954–1975)	163 (1961)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#271 (1997)	#271 (1997)	#415 (2015)	2 of 19	6 (1997–2015)	3 (1997)

Malcolm by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Malcolm in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	84	6 of 10	14
1970sbusiest	200	10 of 10	20
1980s	63	10 of 10	6
1990s	24	6 of 10	4
2000s	23	5 of 10	5
2010s	27	7 of 10	4
2020s	30	5 of 10	6

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 1970s were its busiest decade, averaging 20 births a year.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Malcolm appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 6 registrars between 1952 and 2025, ranked in 71 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #45, first reached in 1956.

It held a top-100 place in 25 years, 25 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 183 births, registered in New South Wales, Australia in 1956.

Its record falls into 2 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 3 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1954, and 72 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Malcolm was ranked #45 in New South Wales, Australia · Boys in 1958. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Malaya · #1102, 17y
Malayah · #1849, 12y
Maleah · #2019, 17y
Maleeha · #799, 30y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 6 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Douglas · #47, 71y
Lee · #42, 68y
Bronwyn · #49, 71y
Leonie · #49, 74y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Isabel · #45, 68y
Tomasz · #45, 70y
Christer · #44, 58y
Jillian · #44, 64y

Malcolm and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Malcolm without appearing here.

Malcolm moved ahead of

Glenn
In 2011 they stood at #1909 and #1909 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2012 that had become #1152 and #3039.
Graham
In 2014 they stood at #1935 and #1819 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2015 that had become #1236 and #2319.
Ross
In 2019 they stood at #1189 and #894 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2020 that had become #962 and #1723.
Ashleigh
In 2000 they stood at #1889 and #881 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2001 that had become #1027 and #1595.

Moved ahead of Malcolm

Ronald
In 1999 they stood at #809 and #869 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2000 that had become #1889 and #673.
Oisin
In 1999 they stood at #809 and #906 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2000 that had become #1889 and #731.
Hunter
In 2006 they stood at #1168 and #1643 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2007 that had become #1666 and #926.
Mathias
In 2010 they stood at #1483 and #1620 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2011 that had become #1909 and #1209.

Moved the opposite way to Malcolm

Alexander
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Malcolm went from #139 to #509 while Alexander went from #116 to #55.
Benjamin
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Malcolm went from #139 to #509 while Benjamin went from #139 to #83.
Conor
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Malcolm went from #139 to #509 while Conor went from #56 to #16.
Liam
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Malcolm went from #139 to #509 while Liam went from #54 to #7.

Moved the same way as Malcolm

Adrian
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Malcolm went from #139 to #509 and Adrian from #65 to #348.
Alfred
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Malcolm went from #139 to #509 and Alfred from #134 to #286.
Denis
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Malcolm went from #139 to #509 and Denis from #21 to #232.
Francis
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Malcolm went from #139 to #509 and Francis from #16 to #309.

Meaning & Origin

Traditionally interpreted as 'disciple' or 'servant of Saint Columba'.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Mael Coluim

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Malcolm is officially recorded

6 official registrars have recorded Malcolm, between 1952 and 2025, in 71 of those 74 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
New South Wales, Australia	1952–1976	25	#45 in 1958
New Zealand	1954–1975	20	#45 in 1956
Republic of Ireland	1964–2025	49	#127 in 1966
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#472 in 1996
Northern Ireland	1997–2015	2	#271 in 1997
Scotland	2024	1	#352 in 2024

Its high point came 68 years earlier in New Zealand (1956) than in Scotland (2024).

No registrar recorded it for 3 years after 1992; it appears again in 1996.

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

MAL-kəm/ˈmælkəm/

Syllables: 2
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Malcolm Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Malcolm in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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Malcolm

Malcolm at a glance

What stands out in Malcolm's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Malcolm across 5 official records

Malcolm by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Malcolm appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Malcolm

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Malcolm and the names beside it

Malcolm moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Malcolm

Moved the opposite way to Malcolm

Moved the same way as Malcolm

Meaning & Origin

Where Malcolm is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Malcolm Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Malcolm at a glance

What stands out in Malcolm's record

Malcolm across 5 official records

Malcolm by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Malcolm appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Malcolm

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Malcolm and the names beside it

Malcolm moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Malcolm

Moved the opposite way to Malcolm

Moved the same way as Malcolm