Mordekai
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.
Meaning & Origin of Mordekai
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 →
The Story of Mordekai
Mordekai first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 2013, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2023, when 16 Mordekais were born — ranking #5,664 that year. As of 2026, Mordekai ranks #6,917 for baby boys with 11 births, rising sharply (+20% over the past five years). In total, more than 111 Mordekais have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2010s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Mordekai
Phonetically similar names — useful when Mordekai 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 Mordekai
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About the name Mordekai
Mordekai is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2013 and has accumulated 111 births in the dataset. Mordekai's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #5,664. Use the chart and map above to compare Mordekai's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
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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.