Boy · Nahuatl
Moctezuma
Say it: mok-teh-SOO-mah
Meaning
Nahuatl Motēuczōma, usually explained as 'he who frowns like a lord', from tēuctli 'lord' and zōma 'to frown in anger'.
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
Borne by two Mexica rulers and occasionally given as a patriotic name in Mexico.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 17 babies given this name since 1993
- At its height in 1997, about 1 in 314,100 boys
- Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Motecuhzoma, Montezuma
Famous bearers
- Moctezuma II, Mexica ruler at the Spanish arrival
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Published resources of the nation concerned
- Colonial records of the Americas
- 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.