Melquisedec
A name of Hebrew origin meaning "king of righteousness".
Name Census estimates that about 129 living Americans carry the first name Melquisedec. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Melquisedec today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Melquisedec births was 2012 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Melquisedec. 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
129
~ 1 in 2,657,010 Americans
Peak year
2012
9 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,538
Tracked since 1994
Census
Melquisedec in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 231 people with the first name Melquisedec, which placed it at #35,041 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#35,041
National first-name rank
People counted
231
231 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
94.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Melquisedec
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Melquisedec is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Melquisedec described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Melquisedec at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.4% · 218
- White2.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Popularity
Melquisedec: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Melquisedec from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 43 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Melquisedec remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Melquisedec 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 Melquisedec during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Melquisedec
The given name Melquisedec has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew words "melekh tsedeq," which translate to "king of righteousness" or "righteous king." The name is closely associated with the biblical figure Melchizedek, who is mentioned in the Book of Genesis as the king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God.
The first recorded appearance of the name Melquisedec is in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in Genesis 14:18-20, where Melchizedek is described as a king and priest who blessed Abraham. The name is also mentioned in the New Testament, particularly in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where Melchizedek is portrayed as a foreshadowing of Christ's eternal priesthood.
One of the earliest recorded individuals named Melquisedec was a Carthaginian military leader and navigator who lived in the 5th century BC. He is credited with leading an expedition to explore the Atlantic Ocean and establishing settlements along the western coast of Africa.
In the Middle Ages, a notable figure named Melquisedec was a French monk and scholar who lived in the 12th century. He authored several works on theology and philosophy and was known for his contributions to the intellectual discourse of his time.
During the Renaissance period, a notable individual named Melquisedec Thévenot was a French traveler and writer who lived from 1620 to 1692. He is renowned for his travel memoirs, which provide valuable insights into the cultures and societies of the regions he visited, including the Middle East and parts of Asia.
In the 18th century, Melquisedec Martin was a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader who played a significant role in the exploration of western North America. He was born in 1744 and is credited with establishing trade routes and fostering relationships with various Native American tribes.
More recently, in the 20th century, Melquisedec Rodríguez was a renowned Cuban composer and musician who lived from 1890 to 1963. He is celebrated for his contributions to the development of Cuban son, a genre that blends Spanish and African musical traditions.
While the name Melquisedec may be uncommon in modern times, its rich history and biblical connections have endured throughout the ages, making it a name steeped in significance and cultural heritage.
People
Melquisedec + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Melquisedec 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
Melquisedec: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Melquisedec?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 129 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Melquisedec 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 2,657,010 US residents.
Is Melquisedec a common name?
We classify Melquisedec as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 130 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Melquisedec most popular?
The single biggest year for Melquisedec was 2012, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Melquisedec is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Melquisedec in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 231 people with the name Melquisedec, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,041 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Melquisedec in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Melquisedec?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Melquisedec leans strongly male. 231 people counted with this name were male (97.5%), compared with 6 female bearers (2.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Melquisedec?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Melquisedec is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Melquisedec most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Melquisedec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (218 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Melquisedec in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Melquisedec a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Melquisedec 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.
Is Melquisedec still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Melquisedec in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Melquisedec can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Melquisedec as a first name?
You can see how many Americans are named Melquisedec on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.