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.
- #406 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #272 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 70,209
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Malcolm is the #272 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 #272 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.
- #406 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #272 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 70,209 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Malcolm ranks #406 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #272 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 70,209 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #406 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #272 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 70,209
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Malcolm's 70,209 recorded births place it above 99.1% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Malcolm compares
70,209 Top 3% higher than 97% of 13,930 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 190x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Malcolm | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 70,209 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,495 | 34 | 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 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
1990s is the heaviest window (10,064 births, 14% of the file).
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 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% |
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
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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
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
Compare Malcolm side by side: Malcolm vs Malachi Malcolm vs Malik Malcolm vs Malakai
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Malcolm
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Malcolm: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1992)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.