Malcolm: translation
Malcolm m
Scottish and English: Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mael Coluim ‘devotee of St Columba’. Columba, whose name means ‘dove’ in Latin, was a 6th-century monk of Irish origin who played a leading part in the conversion to Christianity of Scotland and northern England; See also CALUM (SEE Calum) and COLM (SEE Colm). He has always been one of the most popular saints in Scotland, but in the Middle Ages it was felt to be presumptuous to give the names of saints directly to children; instead their blessing was invoked by prefixing the name with mael ‘devotee of’ (cf. MARMADUKE (SEE Marmaduke)) or gille ‘servant of’. In the Highlands Malcolm is still used as an Anglicized form of Calum.
Feminine forms: Malcolmina, Malina.