Find out how popular the last name Malcom is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Malcom.

Malcom, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Malcom surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Malcom in America

Malcom is the 8896th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Malcom surname appeared 3,680 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Malcom.

We can also compare 2010 data for Malcom to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Malcom

The surname MALCOM originates from Scotland, and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Maldóm", which means "disciple" or "follower". The name was originally "Malcolme" and was used as a personal name before becoming a hereditary surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MALCOM can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists names of Scottish landowners and gentry who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Malcolme de Stragrif".

Another early reference to the surname MALCOM is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century, which mention a "Malcolm de Dryburgh" in 1328.

The MALCOM name has connections to various places in Scotland, such as the village of Malcom in Fife, which was likely named after an early bearer of the surname.

One notable bearer of the MALCOM surname was Sir John Malcom (c.1300-1362), a Scottish knight and landowner who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under King Robert the Bruce.

Another prominent individual with the MALCOM surname was Sir Michael Malcom (c.1450-1505), a Scottish nobleman and Lord of Balbedie, who served as a diplomat and ambassador for King James IV.

In the 16th century, there was a notable family of MALCOMs in Perthshire, including David Malcom (c.1530-1598), who was a prominent landowner and Provost of Perth.

In the 17th century, John Malcom (1619-1674) was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and theologian who played a significant role in the religious and political turmoil of that era.

Another notable bearer of the MALCOM surname was Sir John Malcom (1769-1833), a British soldier, diplomat, and historian who served as Governor of Bombay and authored several works on the history and culture of India.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Malcom

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Malcom.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Malcom was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Malcom has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Malcom was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Malcom, please contact us.

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