Malcolm Lav

(male) Anglicized form of the medieval Gaelic name Mael Coluim ‘devotee of St Columba’. Columba 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 Callum and 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’ or gille ‘servant of’. Since the 1930s the given name has been used widely in the English-speaking world, not just by those with Scottish connections.