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Callum

Boy name · 12,703 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Callum: 12,703 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 532 births in 2006.

Callum is the Scottish Gaelic form of the Latin name Columba, meaning “dove” — a symbol of peace and gentleness. It originated from the early Christian saint Columba (Colum Cille), who brought Christianity to Scotland from Ireland in the 6th century and founded the famous monastery on Iona. Modern bearers include the English actor Callum Turner, known for *Fantastic Beasts*, and Scottish footballer Callum McGregor, captain of Celtic FC. While no major place is directly named after the name, the root “columba” appears in the medieval kingdom of Dalriada’s ecclesiastical sites. Callum shares its root with the Roman family name Columella and is sometimes anglicised as Malcolm — though Malcolm actually derives from a different Gaelic compound, *Máel Coluim* (“devotee of Columba”). In Scotland, Callum has been consistently popular since the 1970s, regularly ranking among the top ten boys’ names nationwide.