Melchor
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "king of light".
Name Census estimates that about 704 living Americans carry the first name Melchor. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Melchor today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melchor births was 1992 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melchor. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
704
~ 1 in 486,867 Americans
Peak year
1992
25 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,536
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Melchor: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melchor from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 151 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Melchor by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Melchor during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Melchors live
Origin
Meaning and history of Melchor
Melchor is a masculine given name with its origins rooted in the Spanish language. It is derived from the Hebrew name Malki-Or, which translates to "king of light" or "my king is light." The name gained prominence during the biblical era, particularly in the Christian tradition.
One of the earliest and most significant references to the name Melchor can be found in the Biblical story of the Three Wise Men or Magi who visited the newborn Jesus Christ. In the Western Christian tradition, one of the Three Wise Men is named Melchor, representing the gift of gold brought to the Christ Child. This association with the Nativity story has contributed to the name's enduring popularity within the Christian faith.
The name Melchor was particularly prevalent in Spain and other Spanish-speaking regions during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. It was a popular choice among the nobility and royalty, reflecting the name's regal connotations. Some notable historical figures bearing the name Melchor include:
1. Melchor Cano (1509-1560), a Spanish Dominican theologian and one of the leading figures of the Catholic Reformation.
2. Melchor Gaspar de Jovellanos (1744-1811), a Spanish Enlightenment writer, philosopher, and statesman.
3. Melchor Ocampo (1814-1861), a Mexican lawyer, politician, and one of the leading figures in the Reform War in Mexico.
4. Melchor Bravo de Saravia (1512-1577), a Spanish conquistador who played a significant role in the conquest of Peru.
5. Melchor Rodríguez García (1893-1972), a Spanish Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Valladolid from 1949 to 1972.
These historical figures, spanning different eras and regions, exemplify the widespread use and significance of the name Melchor throughout various cultures influenced by the Spanish language and Christian traditions.
People
Melchor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melchor as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Melchor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melchor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 704 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melchor going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 486,867 US residents.
Is Melchor a common name?
We classify Melchor as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 894 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melchor most popular?
The single biggest year for Melchor was 1992, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melchor is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Melchor a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melchor in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.