boys' name ★ peaked 2022

Mordecai

Meaning Borrowed from Hebrew מָרְדֳּכַי (mordocháy) Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,100 Trend → Stable

Borrowed from Hebrew מָרְדֳּכַי (mordocháy).

Rank 2025
#2,100
among boys · ↓49 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
70
named Mordecai · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 24,401
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
99 babies
All-time total
1,650
#3,718 all-time among boys
First recorded
1912
in Social Security records

Mordecai popularity over time

1,650 babies have been named Mordecai since 1912, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2022Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s 31 3 – #2,044
1920s 62 6 +100% #2,551
1930s 54 5 -13% #2,397
1940s 47 5 -13% #3,037
1950s 69 7 +47% #2,599
1960s 70 7 +1% #2,338
1970s 44 4 -37% #3,369
1980s 65 7 +48% #3,622
1990s 52 5 -20% #5,529
2000s 164 16 +215% #3,961
2010s 514 51 +213% #2,058
2020s (to 2025) 478 80 +55% #1,716

Where Mordecai is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 71 0.04 outside top 500
2027 72 0.04 outside top 500
2028 73 0.04 outside top 500
2029 74 0.04 outside top 500
2030 75 0.04 outside top 500

Where Mordecai is most popular

Boys named Mordecai per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.046 per 1,000. Strongest in Ohio, Texas, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Mordecai born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Ohio 14 0.053 +16%
Texas 40 0.045 ≈ national
Florida 19 0.040 -12%
Indiana 5 0.031 -32%
Michigan 5 0.024 -46%
California 19 0.021 -54%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -57%
New York 5 0.012 -75%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Mordecai

Mordecai is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,100 in 2025 with 70 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1912, 1,650 American babies have been named Mordecai. Its peak came in 2022, when 99 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Mordecai stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mordecai?

The median living Mordecai is about 9 years old; half are between 4 and 21. An estimated 1,400 people named Mordecai are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Mordecai year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 70 #2,100
2024 74 #2,051
2023 80 #1,947
2022 99 #1,716
2021 71 #2,074
2020 84 #1,795
2019 71 #2,058
2018 63 #2,201
2017 64 #2,148
2016 68 #2,080
2015 57 #2,319
2014 52 #2,453
2013 51 #2,450
2012 38 #3,040
2011 29 #3,668
2010 21 #4,634
2009 24 #4,235
2008 19 #5,010
2007 12 #6,945
2006 20 #4,631
2005 19 #4,586
2004 23 #3,961
2003 17 #4,742
2002 12 #5,960
2001 8 #8,067
2000 10 #6,680
1995 6 #8,530
1990 – –
1985 – –
1980 6 #5,998
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 13 #2,338
1960 12 #2,500
1955 5 #4,214
1950 7 #3,232
1945 6 #3,212
1940 – –
1935 6 #3,528
1930 6 #3,876
1925 9 #3,068
1920 5 #4,755
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Mordecai

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Mordecai Mordecai Biblical figure
  2. 2 Mordecai Richler Mordecai Richler Canadian writer (1931–2001) Contemporary
  3. 3 Mordecai Kaplan Mordecai Kaplan Lithuanian American rabbi (1881–1983) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Mordecai, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Mordecai?

The median living Mordecai is about 9 years old. Half of all living Mordecais are between 4 and 21 years old.

How many people named Mordecai are alive today?

An estimated 1,400 people named Mordecai are alive in the United States, based on 1,650 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Mordecai mean?

Borrowed from Hebrew מָרְדֳּכַי (mordocháy).

How popular is the name Mordecai in 2025?

Mordecai ranked #2,100 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 70 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mordecai?

1,650 babies have been named Mordecai in the United States since 1912, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mordecai most popular?

Mordecai peaked in 2022, when 99 newborns received the name.

Is Mordecai a boy or girl name?

Mordecai is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Mordecai rising or falling?

Mordecai is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Mordecai become more popular?

Mordecai is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 75 boys named Mordecai in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Mordecai?

Well-known people named Mordecai include Mordecai (religious figure), Mordecai Richler (writer), Mordecai Kaplan (writer).

Names like Mordecai

Names that sound and feel close to Mordecai: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Mordecai with similar names → More names starting with M →