boys' name ★ peaked 2018

Mordechai

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #967 Trend ↓ Falling 14%
Rank 2025
#967
among boys · ↓8 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
238
named Mordechai
How common
1 in 7,177
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2018
315 babies
All-time total
6,821
#1,482 all-time among boys
First recorded
1950
in Social Security records

Mordechai popularity over time

6,821 babies have been named Mordechai since 1950, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2018Boys

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 – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s 51 5 – #2,595
1960s 94 9 +84% #2,379
1970s 302 30 +221% #1,340
1980s 513 51 +70% #1,213
1990s 890 89 +73% #1,114
2000s 1,432 143 +61% #965
2010s 2,100 210 +47% #750
2020s (to 2025) 1,439 240 +14% #877

Where Mordechai 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 232 0.14 outside top 500
2027 227 0.13 outside top 500
2028 222 0.13 outside top 500
2029 219 0.13 outside top 500
2030 216 0.13 outside top 500

Where Mordechai is most popular

Boys named Mordechai per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.137 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, New York, and Illinois.

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 Mordechai 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
New Jersey 352 1.75 +1179%
New York 723 1.67 +1121%
Illinois 5 0.020 -86%
Florida 5 0.011 -92%
California 7 0.008 -94%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
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 Mordechai

Mordechai is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #967 in 2025 with 238 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1950, 6,821 American babies have been named Mordechai. Its peak came in 2018, when 315 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Mordechai stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mordechai?

The median living Mordechai is about 14 years old; half are between 6 and 26. An estimated 6,700 people named Mordechai are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

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

Mordechai year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 238 #967
2024 237 #959
2023 243 #933
2022 233 #972
2021 230 #972
2020 258 #877
2019 297 #784
2018 315 #750
2017 203 #1,002
2016 184 #1,075
2015 175 #1,104
2014 184 #1,067
2013 197 #997
2012 200 #999
2011 183 #1,039
2010 162 #1,147
2009 165 #1,124
2008 146 #1,207
2007 148 #1,192
2006 136 #1,235
2005 146 #1,125
2004 153 #1,057
2003 169 #965
2002 124 #1,151
2001 129 #1,107
2000 116 #1,184
1995 88 #1,241
1990 62 #1,430
1985 50 #1,381
1980 34 #1,717
1975 32 #1,618
1970 21 #1,971
1965 10 #2,720
1960 10 #2,805
1955 7 #3,404
1950 8 #2,950
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Mordechai

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

  1. 1 Mordechai Vanunu Mordechai Vanunu Israeli peace activist and nuclear whistleblower (b. 1954) Contemporary
  2. 2 Mordechai Anielewicz Mordechai Anielewicz Leader of the anti-Nazi Jewish Combat Organization 1919–1943 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Mordechai Spiegler Mordechai Spiegler Israeli footballer (born 1944) Contemporary
  4. 4 Mordechai Gur Mordechai Gur 10th Chief of Staff of Israel Defense Forces 1930–1995 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Mordechai?

The median living Mordechai is about 14 years old. Half of all living Mordechais are between 6 and 26 years old.

How many people named Mordechai are alive today?

An estimated 6,700 people named Mordechai are alive in the United States, based on 6,821 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Mordechai in 2025?

Mordechai ranked #967 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 238 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mordechai?

6,821 babies have been named Mordechai in the United States since 1950, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mordechai most popular?

Mordechai peaked in 2018, when 315 newborns received the name.

Is Mordechai a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Mordechai rising or falling?

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

Will Mordechai become more popular?

Mordechai is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 216 boys named Mordechai 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 Mordechai?

Well-known people named Mordechai include Mordechai Vanunu (social activist), Mordechai Anielewicz (social activist), Mordechai Spiegler (soccer player).

Names like Mordechai

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

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