Malcom

Malcom is a spelling of Malcolm, from Scottish Gaelic Máel Coluim. The name expresses devotion to Saint Columba, the missionary closely associated with Iona and the spread of Christianity in Scotland. Columba’s own name means dove in Latin, but the full Gaelic personal name is a statement of religious dedication rather than simply the name of a bird.

The Malcolm family has a long Scottish royal history, which gives Malcom an established background despite its shorter spelling. Omitting the second l usually makes little difference to the English pronunciation. A family may prefer Malcom because of an inherited spelling or a particular bearer, while Malcolm remains the closest form to compare. Both preserve the same Gaelic name history.