# Where does the name Malkmus originate from?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-name-malkmus-originate-from/421704>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 5, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-name-malkmus-originate-from/421704 "2007-10-05T23:42:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-name-malkmus-originate-from/421704/1 "2007-10-05T23:42:50Z")

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As in Stephen Malkmus, of the band Pavement.

I’ve read of other people with this name, sometimes spelled Malchemus.

Is it Greek?

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**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-name-malkmus-originate-from/421704/2 "2007-10-06T01:51:12Z")

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Maybe Machelmus: I think it’s one of those Latin-sounding names that made it into Dutch, and, looking at Google, seems to go very very far back in Utrecht.

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**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-name-malkmus-originate-from/421704/3 "2007-10-06T16:20:32Z")

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A quick internet search of genealogy sites suggests that the American Malkmus clan comes from Germany, esp. Hesse. That would jibe with **capybara** ’s logical suggestion.