Total births
70,209
Boys' name · since 1880
Malcolm
70,209 babies named Malcolm in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1992. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #314
- among boys today
- 70,209
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Malcolm is the #314 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 70,209 recorded since 1880.
Malcolm has 70,209 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #314 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #314 among boys today
- 70,209 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Malcolm is currently the #314 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 70,209 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #314
- among boys today
- 70,209
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Malcolm vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#314
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Malcolm was born in this single decade.
1992
Single peak year
1,495 babies were named Malcolm in 1992 - its busiest year on record.
How Malcolm compares
70,209 Top 3% higher than 97% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Malcolm's all-time total is 191x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Malcolm | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 70,209 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,495 | 23 | 22,252 |
Malcolm's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Malcolm's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 66% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 34%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1885, with only 14 births recorded -- set against the 1992 peak of 1,495, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Malcolm at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1992
Current rank
#314
Active since
1880
Malcolm popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1992)
- 1,495
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Malcolm popularity over time - girls
119 total births recorded since 1913 (Malcolm as girls' name)
Malcolm by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Malcolm's strongest decade.
10,064 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Malcolm births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 209
1880s
209 births
- 1890s 335
1890s
335 births
- 1900s 564
1900s
564 births
- 1910s 3,555
1910s
3,555 births
- 1920s
1920s
6,088 births
- 1930s
1930s
5,380 births
- 1940s
1940s
5,681 births
- 1950s
1950s
5,700 births
- 1960s
1960s
4,907 births
- 1970s 3,848
1970s
3,848 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,527 births
- 1990s
1990s
10,064 births
- 2000s
2000s
5,145 births
- 2010s
2010s
7,105 births
- 2020s
2020s
7,101 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 10,064 births (14% of all-time use).
How Malcolm compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Malcolm's total volume
Malcolm vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Malcolm by state
Where Malcolm concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 5,755 | 8.2% |
| #2 | California | | 4,695 | 6.7% |
| #3 | Texas | | 4,455 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 2,944 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Louisiana | | 2,902 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 2,805 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Florida | | 2,719 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 2,642 | 3.8% |
New York share of Malcolm's total US births 8.2%
Even split
5,755 of 70,209 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Malcolm appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Malcolm? ▼
70,209 babies have been named Malcolm since 1880. It currently ranks #314 among boys. The peak year was 1992 with 1,495 births.
When was Malcolm most popular? ▼
Malcolm was most popular in the 1990s decade with 10,064 total births. The single peak year was 1992.
Where is Malcolm most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Malcolm are New York (5,755 births), California (4,695 births), Texas (4,455 births).
How long has the name Malcolm been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Malcolm since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Malcolm? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Malachi, Malik, Malakai, Malcom, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Malcolm's data
- Malcolm's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (10,064 total births) through the 2020s (7,101) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Malcolms (5,755 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Malcolm
Nearby Names Like Malcolm
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Malcolm
Malachi Boy
#149 65,758 births
Malik Boy
#428 49,607 births
Malakai Boy
#232 17,830 births
Malcom Boy
#1737 5,864 births
Malaki Boy
#1377 4,786 births
Compare Malcolm side by side: Malcolm vs Malachi Malcolm vs Malik Malcolm vs Malakai
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Malcolm
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Malcolm: #314 Boys' Name - 70,209 Births, Peak 1992." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/malcolm. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Malcolm draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.