Mordecai
Mordecai is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is the cousin and guardian of Esther, who became queen of Persia under the reign of Ahasuerus. The king's grand vizier Haman is offended by Mordecai because of his refusal to bow before him, and when confronted, Mordecai's excuse was simply that he was a Jew.
- Biblical
- Hebrew
Meaning & Origin of Mordecai
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Mordecai is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is the cousin and guardian of Esther, who became queen of Persia under the reign of Ahasuerus. The king's grand vizier Haman is offended by Mordecai because of his refusal to bow before him, and when confronted, Mordecai's excuse was simply that he was a Jew.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Biblical
- Hebrew
The Story of Mordecai
The earliest SSA record of Mordecai as a baby boy name dates back to 1912, when 6 babies received it. 2022 was its biggest year on record, with 99 newborns named Mordecai — #1,706 in the national rankings. The 2020s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 32% of all recorded Mordecais. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #1,996 among baby boy names with 78 births, rising sharply (+16% over the past five years). In total, more than 2K Mordecais have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Mordecai
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Mordecai. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Mordecai
Phonetically similar names — useful when Mordecai is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mordecai
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About the name Mordecai
Mordecai is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Mordecai's peak popularity came in 2022 when it ranked #1,706. Use the chart and map above to compare Mordecai's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2022 →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.