NamesBoyM › Malcolm
Boy name

Malcolm

/ˈmælkəm/ · 100% boys · #272 in the US for boys, 2025

Malcolm has been given to about 70,328 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1992, which makes it a Gen X and millennial name.

Meaning
Origin
Syllables2
Pronunciation/ˈmælkəm/
Nicknames
Living in the US≈ 51,318
Median age today34 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Malcolm per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandFranceeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1992 · 1,495
  • Born in 20251,257
  • All time70,328
  • England & Wales, 202521

How popular is Malcolm?

Malcolm ranks 272nd among American boys in 2025, with 1,257 born that year. Its best year was 1992, when 1,495 babies were given the name, ranking 206th. The typical living American called Malcolm is about 34 years old today. It is relatively most common in Maine, where it accounts for 0.23% of births.

Names that sound like Malcolm

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Malcom0.83
  2. Marco0.58
  3. Marcos0.58
  4. Marko0.55
  5. Marcelo0.53
  6. Maxim0.52
  7. Marcello0.51
  8. Marcel0.50

Middle names for Malcolm

Ranked by flow score
  1. Malcolm Paul0.77
  2. Malcolm Lee0.77
  3. Malcolm Dean0.76
  4. Malcolm Blake0.76
  5. Malcolm Bryce0.76
  6. Malcolm Wade0.76

Sibling names for Malcolm

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Forrestbrother · 0.96
  2. Noeleither · 0.95
  3. Alonzobrother · 0.94
  4. Felixbrother · 0.94
  5. Ceciliasister · 0.94
  6. Dallaseither · 0.93

Where Malcolm is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. Maine0.23%
  2. New Hampshire0.14%
  3. Rhode Island0.14%
  4. Alaska0.13%
  5. District of Columbia0.11%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Malcolm Anderson0.77
  2. Malcolm White0.72
  3. Malcolm Reyes0.72
  4. Malcolm Nguyen0.72
  5. Malcolm Lee0.72
  6. Malcolm Hill0.72

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Malcolm

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. France1900–2025
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Malcolm across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.