Malcolm
Malcolm was given to 1,257 boys in 2025, #272 among boys’ names; 70,328 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 47,500 Americans named Malcolm and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (68% of everyone recorded); the median is 32 years old and half are between 13 and 54.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Malcolm by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Malcolm mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Malcolm is “a male given name from Scottish Gaelic or Goidelic, variant of Calum and Callum, feminine equivalent Malcolmina, equivalent to Scottish Gaelic Maol Chaluim.” Its etymology gives the senses “devotee of [Saint] Columba” (literally) and “tonsured” (máel) and “dove” (columb).
Royal name in Scotland, anglicised from various historical Goidelic names equivalent to Scottish Gaelic Maol Chaluim or Calum, Irish Maol Colm, Middle Irish Máel Coluim, Old Irish Máel Columb (literally “devotee of [Saint] Columba”); proper nouns derived from máel (“tonsured”) from Proto-Celtic *mailos, and columb (“dove”) from Latin columbus.
/ˈmæl.kəm/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Malcolm?
#272 among boys’ names, 2025
Malcolm rose from #421 in 2015 to #272 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 0.39 to 0.74 per 1,000.
1,495 babies in 1992, the peak
Malcolm peaked in 1992, when 1,495 boys were given it, #206 among boys’ names. The 1,257 births of 2025 are 84% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,257 | #272 | 0.74 |
| 2024 | 1,093 | #314 | 0.63 |
| 2023 | 1,131 | #293 | 0.66 |
| 2022 | 1,220 | #284 | 0.70 |
| 2021 | 1,230 | #281 | 0.70 |
| 2020 | 1,170 | #291 | 0.68 |
| 2019 | 1,022 | #327 | 0.57 |
| 2018 | 806 | #393 | 0.44 |
| 2017 | 814 | #393 | 0.44 |
| 2016 | 784 | #408 | 0.41 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 741 | #421 | 0.39 |
| 2014 | 682 | #442 | 0.36 |
| 2013 | 650 | #442 | 0.34 |
| 2012 | 585 | #467 | 0.31 |
| 2011 | 525 | #497 | 0.28 |
| 2010 | 496 | #521 | 0.26 |
| 2009 | 432 | #599 | 0.22 |
| 2008 | 482 | #545 | 0.24 |
| 2007 | 453 | #568 | 0.22 |
| 2006 | 468 | #541 | 0.23 |
| 2005 | 448 | #540 | 0.22 |
| 2004 | 444 | #533 | 0.22 |
| 2003 | 507 | #487 | 0.26 |
| 2002 | 582 | #427 | 0.30 |
| 2001 | 614 | #409 | 0.32 |
| 2000 | 715 | #368 | 0.36 |
| 1999 | 712 | #366 | 0.37 |
| 1998 | 702 | #366 | 0.37 |
| 1997 | 766 | #338 | 0.41 |
| 1996 | 841 | #313 | 0.44 |
| 1995 | 887 | #301 | 0.47 |
| 1994 | 979 | #277 | 0.51 |
| 1993 | 1,225 | #236 | 0.62 |
| 1992 | 1,495 | #206 | 0.75 |
| 1991 | 1,299 | #230 | 0.64 |
| 1990 | 1,158 | #241 | 0.56 |
| 1989 | 905 | #274 | 0.45 |
| 1988 | 740 | #308 | 0.39 |
| 1987 | 633 | #324 | 0.34 |
| 1986 | 528 | #359 | 0.29 |
| 1985 | 386 | #434 | 0.21 |
| 1984 | 279 | #505 | 0.15 |
| 1983 | 221 | #567 | 0.12 |
| 1982 | 299 | #491 | 0.16 |
| 1981 | 275 | #509 | 0.15 |
| 1980 | 261 | #534 | 0.15 |
| 1979 | 290 | #487 | 0.17 |
| 1978 | 296 | #470 | 0.18 |
| 1977 | 325 | #440 | 0.20 |
| 1976 | 338 | #423 | 0.22 |
| 1975 | 367 | #401 | 0.24 |
| 1974 | 337 | #427 | 0.21 |
| 1973 | 390 | #392 | 0.25 |
| 1972 | 450 | #371 | 0.28 |
| 1971 | 518 | #354 | 0.29 |
| 1970 | 537 | #349 | 0.29 |
| 1969 | 441 | #373 | 0.25 |
| 1968 | 421 | #380 | 0.24 |
| 1967 | 430 | #362 | 0.25 |
| 1966 | 453 | #353 | 0.25 |
| 1965 | 614 | #305 | 0.33 |
| 1964 | 471 | #360 | 0.24 |
| 1963 | 485 | #354 | 0.24 |
| 1962 | 520 | #341 | 0.25 |
| 1961 | 526 | #343 | 0.25 |
| 1960 | 546 | #332 | 0.26 |
| 1959 | 500 | #349 | 0.23 |
| 1958 | 603 | #308 | 0.28 |
| 1957 | 562 | #326 | 0.26 |
| 1956 | 569 | #311 | 0.27 |
| 1955 | 593 | #296 | 0.29 |
| 1954 | 597 | #291 | 0.29 |
| 1953 | 546 | #302 | 0.28 |
| 1952 | 602 | #282 | 0.31 |
| 1951 | 588 | #282 | 0.31 |
| 1950 | 540 | #290 | 0.30 |
| 1949 | 520 | #295 | 0.29 |
| 1948 | 549 | #290 | 0.31 |
| 1947 | 630 | #269 | 0.34 |
| 1946 | 626 | #248 | 0.39 |
| 1945 | 511 | #255 | 0.38 |
| 1944 | 549 | #245 | 0.40 |
| 1943 | 674 | #216 | 0.47 |
| 1942 | 577 | #234 | 0.42 |
| 1941 | 497 | #249 | 0.40 |
| 1940 | 548 | #226 | 0.47 |
| 1939 | 522 | #227 | 0.47 |
| 1938 | 542 | #222 | 0.49 |
| 1937 | 502 | #236 | 0.47 |
| 1936 | 531 | #219 | 0.51 |
| 1935 | 545 | #221 | 0.52 |
| 1934 | 499 | #231 | 0.48 |
| 1933 | 525 | #219 | 0.53 |
| 1932 | 572 | #215 | 0.55 |
| 1931 | 584 | #214 | 0.56 |
| 1930 | 558 | #229 | 0.51 |
| 1929 | 597 | #213 | 0.56 |
| 1928 | 666 | #205 | 0.60 |
| 1927 | 613 | #217 | 0.54 |
| 1926 | 629 | #217 | 0.57 |
| 1925 | 618 | #218 | 0.55 |
| 1924 | 639 | #210 | 0.56 |
| 1923 | 623 | #207 | 0.57 |
| 1922 | 548 | #240 | 0.50 |
| 1921 | 599 | #224 | 0.54 |
| 1920 | 556 | #227 | 0.52 |
| 1919 | 499 | #236 | 0.51 |
| 1918 | 508 | #236 | 0.50 |
| 1917 | 544 | #206 | 0.59 |
| 1916 | 476 | #225 | 0.53 |
| 1915 | 464 | #221 | 0.55 |
| 1914 | 317 | #240 | 0.48 |
| 1913 | 288 | #220 | 0.56 |
| 1912 | 233 | #225 | 0.54 |
| 1911 | 140 | #210 | 0.62 |
| 1910 | 86 | #265 | 0.44 |
| 1909 | 83 | #242 | 0.51 |
| 1908 | 78 | #241 | 0.51 |
| 1907 | 54 | #289 | 0.37 |
| 1906 | 48 | #294 | 0.36 |
| 1905 | 65 | #244 | 0.49 |
| 1904 | 46 | #282 | 0.36 |
| 1903 | 48 | #266 | 0.40 |
| 1902 | 52 | #258 | 0.42 |
| 1901 | 35 | #300 | 0.33 |
| 1900 | 55 | #279 | 0.37 |
| 1899 | 35 | #297 | 0.33 |
| 1898 | 40 | #293 | 0.33 |
| 1897 | 30 | #345 | 0.27 |
| 1896 | 48 | #261 | 0.40 |
| 1895 | 33 | #322 | 0.28 |
| 1894 | 34 | #303 | 0.29 |
| 1893 | 27 | #343 | 0.24 |
| 1892 | 30 | #344 | 0.25 |
| 1891 | 31 | #303 | 0.31 |
| 1890 | 27 | #341 | 0.24 |
| 1889 | 27 | #344 | 0.24 |
| 1888 | 26 | #366 | 0.22 |
| 1887 | 21 | #364 | 0.21 |
| 1886 | 25 | #345 | 0.23 |
| 1885 | 14 | #516 | 0.13 |
| 1884 | 18 | #442 | 0.16 |
| 1883 | 23 | #348 | 0.22 |
| 1882 | 20 | #410 | 0.18 |
| 1881 | 17 | #426 | 0.17 |
| 1880 | 18 | #417 | 0.16 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Malcolm a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Malcolm has been given almost only to boys: 119 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Malcolm: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Malcolm, and how old are they?
47,500 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 68% of the 70,328 Americans ever recorded as Malcolm. The median Malcolm alive today is 32 years old; half are between 13 and 54.
The 2020 Census counted 40,938 people named Malcolm (100 women and girls, 40,838 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 43,792 born in the U.S. The Census count is 7% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,920 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 6,930 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 5,690 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 11,600 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 8,770 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 12,500 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Malcolm born?
The states with the most babies named Malcolm are California, Texas and Pennsylvania, with 20% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 115 | #318 | 0.7× |
| Texas | 69 | #490 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 68 | #190 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 58 | #226 | 0.7× |
| New York | 54 | #331 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 53 | #224 | 0.8× |
| Washington | 50 | #173 | 0.9× |
| Michigan | 44 | #232 | 0.8× |
| Indiana | 43 | #198 | 0.9× |
| Georgia | 39 | #317 | 1.3× |
Where Malcolm is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Malcolm is most over-represented in Maine: since 1910 it was given 2.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Malcolm with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Malcolm
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Malcolm and names like it
- Compare Malcolm and MalcomBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1990sMalcolm peaked in 1992.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Malcolm since 1910.
- The top names of 1992The year the most babies were named Malcolm.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Malcolm alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with MMost given first.