Meaning: Its source is Mael Coluim, a Gaelic name meaning "Devotee of St. Columba."

Popularity: The name Malcom ranked 1156th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

Narrative: Columba means ''dove'' in Latin. St. Columba was a medieval Irish missionary to Scotland, one of the many Irish clerics who re-introduced Christianity and classical learning to northern Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.

The popularity of the name Malcolm among African Americans is no doubt due to the continuing influence of Malcom X . Born Malcom Little in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925, Malcolm lifted himself out of a life of petty crime to become a major American religious and political leader. Though murdered in 1965, his devotion to Islam and his eloquent advocacy of self-determination and self-defense for African Americans continues to inspire many struggling for racial equality in America.