Malcom is a simplified spelling of Malcolm, from the Scottish Gaelic Máel Coluim, "devotee of Saint Columba" or "servant of Columba", the Irish monk who brought Christianity to Scotland. Four Scottish kings bore the name, and in America it is tied above all to Malcolm X. The spelling without the second l has stayed well outside the top 1000, peaked at number 1749 in 2024 and ranks number 1775 among boys' names in 2025.