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Boy · Uncertain, possibly Hebrew
Melchor
Say it: mel-CHOR
Meaning
Traditional name of one of the Three Kings, often explained from Hebrew malki-'or 'my king is light', though this is uncertain.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 873 babies given this name since 1917
- At its height in 1992, about 1 in 79,900 boys
- 5 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
| Portuguese | Belchior |
|---|---|
| Italian | Melchiorre |
Famous bearers
- Melchor Ocampo, Mexican liberal politician
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- Parish baptism registers
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.