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Yes, it's a little old-fashioned, and yes it's a little weird. It's just the right amount of both. It's a name that feels like it could be old, but doesn't feel dated in the way that once-overused names do (like, say, Douglas). It also has some trendy sound/style to it - like Cormac and Malachi and Lincoln - but it's too sturdy, too easy to deal with, and too frequent to seem hipster-spunky-fresh.

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It's not tease-worthy. If hating one's own name is a family trait, you can't fight that by giving your kid that name instead of this. He'll still hate it.

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I think you should stop telling people, especially people older than yourself, because taking their discouraging reactions to heart can wreck you for naming. You won't ever find a good name that makes them all happy and is also really freaking cool like Malcolm is. All people will think of, when you tell them a disembodied name, is some image they dredge up from memory - and usually it'll be negative, for any male name that isn't frequent on men, or popular on babies. But when you introduce a baby with the name, they're motivated to be positive, not negative. They say hmmmm .. aha, that really is a nifty ol' name.

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I know I told you this but ... when I met a little boy called Malcolm, it completely crystallized for me, what a cool name it is. I think it's smart and manly and serious, but it has enough spunk to be worn by someone young and sassy.