Mordechai is the Hebrew form of Mordecai, the cousin and guardian of Queen Esther in the Bible, whose story is retold every year at Purim; the name is Babylonian in origin and is usually explained as "servant of Marduk" or "little man". It is a traditional name in Orthodox Jewish communities, often shortened to Motty or Mordy. Mordechai climbed from number 1184 in 2000 into the US top 1000 in 2018, peaked at number 750 that year and ranks number 967 among boys' names in 2025.