Colm

Colm
Pronunciation/ˈkɒləm, ˈkʌ-/
Irish: [ˈkɔlˠəmˠ]
Gendermasculine
Language(s)Irish
Origin
DerivationLatin: columba "dove"
MeaningDove
Other names
Variant form(s)Colum, Colom
Related namesColman, Columb, Columbanus, Callum

Colm (/ˈkɒləm, ˈkʌ-/; Irish: [ˈkɔlˠəmˠ]) is a masculine given name of Irish origin.[1] It is not an Irish version of Colin, but like Callum and Malcolm derives from a Gaelic variation on columba,[1] the Latin word for "dove". The reason for the name's use for over a thousand years in Ireland and Scotland is out of respect for St Colmcille of Iona who was from a royal family in the north of Ireland and who evangelized the Scots. Malcolm translates as "Servant of St Columbcille. And the association with the word Dove also has religious origins with the dove being a symbol of the Holy Ghost.

  1. ^ a b Woulfe, Patrick (1906). Irish Names and Surnames. M.H. Gill & Son. pp. 5, 38.