Colm: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Colm is an Irish boy's name meaning “dove.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Dove
- Gender
- Boy
- Also spelled
- Colum, Colmcille, Columb, Columba
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 286 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Colm?
Colm is pronounced KUL-um. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. It can also be said KOLL-um. Other spellings: Colum, Colmcille, Columb and Columba.
What does Colm mean?
A Gaelic form of the Latin columba meaning “dove.” St. Columba of Iona or Colmcille colm + cille or “dove of the church” was a prince of the O’Neill clan, a great poet and scholar. When Columba copied a book belonging to a monastery the abbot claimed it. Columba refused. His royal relatives got involved and a battle ensued. The High King decided in the abbot’s favor “To every cow it’s calf, to every book it’s little book” and Columba was exiled to Iona – the closest place from which he could not see Ireland. His monks created “The Book of Kells” and he himself may have illuminated some of the manuscripts. Born in 521 AD, by the age of 25 he has founded 27 monasteries and 40 churches in Ireland, before setting up a monastery on the island of Iona, and from there he christianised Scotland and northern England.
How popular is Colm in Ireland?
In 2025, 15 baby boys in Ireland were named Colm, which made it No. 286 that year. That's down from No. 149 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1970, when 256 baby boys were named Colm, No. 32 that year. The most babies got the name in 1984: 280. The records go back to 1964, when 144 baby boys were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | No. 286 |
| 2024 | 11 | No. 350 |
| 2023 | 16 | No. 268 |
| 2022 | 20 | No. 239 |
| 2021 | 14 | No. 312 |
| 2020 | 21 | No. 226 |
| 2019 | 24 | No. 214 |
| 2018 | 28 | No. 200 |
| 2017 | 29 | No. 197 |
| 2016 | 33 | No. 177 |
| 2015 | 42 | No. 149 |
| 2014 | 48 | No. 132 |
| 2013 | 59 | No. 117 |
| 2012 | 51 | No. 141 |
| 2011 | 54 | No. 128 |
| 2010 | 47 | No. 152 |
| 2009 | 76 | No. 103 |
| 2008 | 67 | No. 116 |
| 2007 | 85 | No. 82 |
| 2006 | 97 | No. 73 |
| 2005 | 74 | No. 86 |
| 2004 | 88 | No. 74 |
| 2003 | 86 | No. 73 |
| 2002 | 83 | No. 76 |
| 2001 | 87 | No. 71 |
| 2000 | 89 | No. 65 |
| 1999 | 117 | No. 54 |
| 1998 | 82 | No. 66 |
| 1997 | 151 | No. 54 |
| 1996 | 149 | No. 55 |
| 1995 | 127 | No. 59 |
| 1994 | 146 | No. 50 |
| 1993 | 149 | No. 52 |
| 1992 | 179 | No. 47 |
| 1991 | 176 | No. 47 |
| 1990 | 199 | No. 43 |
| 1989 | 200 | No. 37 |
| 1988 | 236 | No. 37 |
| 1987 | 234 | No. 40 |
| 1986 | 261 | No. 37 |
| 1985 | 232 | No. 42 |
| 1984 | 280 | No. 38 |
| 1983 | 265 | No. 42 |
| 1982 | 260 | No. 43 |
| 1981 | 275 | No. 41 |
| 1980 | 253 | No. 49 |
| 1979 | 227 | No. 48 |
| 1978 | 268 | No. 35 |
| 1977 | 219 | No. 49 |
| 1976 | 233 | No. 44 |
| 1975 | 224 | No. 45 |
| 1974 | 228 | No. 45 |
| 1973 | 222 | No. 44 |
| 1972 | 256 | No. 37 |
| 1971 | 217 | No. 43 |
| 1970 | 256 | No. 32 |
| 1969 | 191 | No. 39 |
| 1968 | 178 | No. 40 |
| 1967 | 191 | No. 39 |
| 1966 | 199 | No. 38 |
| 1965 | 133 | No. 48 |
| 1964 | 144 | No. 45 |
Colm in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Colm, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- OOnn, gorse
- LLuis, rowan
- MMuin, vine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Colm
Questions about Colm
- How do you pronounce Colm?
- Colm is pronounced KUL-um. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Colm mean?
- Colm means “dove.”
- Is Colm a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Colm is a boy's name.
- How popular is Colm in Ireland?
- In 2025, Colm was No. 286 for boys in Ireland, with 15 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1970, at No. 32.