Mordecai
Boy name · #2097 in 2025 · Very rare
Mordecai is currently the #2097 boy name in the United States — 70 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #2300, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 25,714 boys born in 2025 was named Mordecai.
Babies named Mordecai per year. Source: SSA.
The 113-year story
Mordecai first appears in the Social Security records in 1912, when 6 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 99 babies and a rank of #1706. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Mordecai against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Mordecai in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Mordecai is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Mordecai will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Mordecai is most common
State-level data for Mordecai is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Mordecai
Statistically, parents drawn to Mordecai tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Cai, Malikai, Malakhai, Malachai, and Zaccai.
CaiMalikaiMalakhaiMalachaiZaccaiAdonaiMahkaiMalakhi
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Mordecai | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 70 | #2091 |
| 2024 | 74 | #2042 |
| 2023 | 80 | #1941 |
| 2022 | 99 | #1706 |
| 2021 | 71 | #2060 |
| 2020 | 84 | #1788 |
| 2019 | 71 | #2042 |
| 2018 | 63 | #2189 |
| 2017 | 64 | #2130 |
| 2016 | 68 | #2066 |
| 2015 | 57 | #2300 |
| 2014 | 52 | #2429 |
| 2013 | 51 | #2424 |
| 2012 | 38 | #3002 |
| 2011 | 29 | #3605 |
| 2010 | 21 | #4517 |
| 2009 | 24 | #4160 |
| 2008 | 19 | #4901 |
| 2007 | 12 | #6622 |
| 2006 | 20 | #4520 |
| 2005 | 19 | #4464 |
| 2004 | 23 | #3860 |
| 2003 | 17 | #4616 |
| 2002 | 12 | #5725 |
| 2001 | 8 | #7536 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Mordecai a popular boy name?
Mordecai ranked #2097 among boys in 2025 with 70 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2300.
When was the name Mordecai most popular?
Mordecai peaked in 2022, when 99 American boys received the name (ranked #1706 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Mordecai?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 25,714 newborn American boys was named Mordecai. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.