# Mortimer (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/mortimer/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “dead pond” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɔɹtəmɚ/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Mortymer |
| US babies named this | 1,943 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,943 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 51, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

A habitational surname from Mortemer in France, from Old Northern French, literally meaning “dead pond”.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 6 | 3,870 |
| 1961 | 6 | 3,933 |
| 1962 | 5 | 4,452 |
| 1963 | 8 | 3,243 |
| 1964 | 8 | 3,209 |
| 1965 | 6 | 3,806 |
| 1966 | 6 | 3,805 |
| 1970 | 7 | 4,103 |
| 1971 | 5 | 5,414 |
| 1972 | 5 | 5,509 |
| 2015 | 5 | 13,417 |
| 2019 | 5 | 13,496 |
| 2020 | 8 | 9,281 |
| 2021 | 6 | 11,701 |
| 2023 | 5 | 13,528 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 5 | 2,020 |
| 1997 | 3 | 2,859 |
| 1998 | 4 | 2,419 |
| 1999 | 3 | 2,943 |
| 2001 | 3 | 3,134 |
| 2004 | 3 | 3,651 |
| 2009 | 6 | 2,837 |
| 2013 | 5 | 3,315 |
| 2015 | 4 | 3,908 |
| 2016 | 5 | 3,478 |
| 2018 | 7 | 2,693 |
| 2019 | 3 | 4,702 |

## People named Mortimer

- Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher, author and educator (1902–2001)
- Mortimer Wheeler, British archaeologist (1890-1976)
- Mortimer Zuckerman, American businessman
- Mortimer Collins, British writer (1827–1876)
- Mortimer von Kessel, German general (1893-1981)
- John Mortimer Smith, Catholic bishop (1935-2019)
- Mortimer Taube, American librarian (1910–1965)
- Mortimer R. Proctor, American politician (1889–1968)
- Mortimer Menpes, Australian-born artist, author, printmaker and illustrator (1855-1938)
- George Pullman, engineer and businessman from the United States (1831-1897)
- Mort Shuman, American songwriter (1938–1991)
- Walter Mirisch, American film producer (1921–2023)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.