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Mortimer
How to Pronounce Mortimer
Pronounced MOR-tih-mur /ˈmɔːr.tɪ.mər/High
Meaning: Mortimer began as a Norman aristocratic surname from a place in Normandy called Mortemer, 'still water' or 'dead sea' (from mort, 'dead', and mer, 'sea/lake'). It later served as a given name, carrying an old, patrician air.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Mortimer is a Norman French name from the Norman place Mortemer, 'still' or 'dead water', from mort, 'dead', and mer, 'sea' or 'lake'. Brought to England after the Conquest, it became a powerful baronial surname and was later used as a first name. In the United States it appears from the eighteen-eighties and reached a modest high point in 1916.
It never became common and declined through the twentieth century, acquiring along the way a distinctly stuffy, old-world image — helped by its use for comic and villainous characters, including Mickey Mouse's rival Mortimer. Mortimer reads as emphatically vintage; it has not joined the current revival of antique names, though its dignified sound could support one.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- ★Mortimer Mouse (fictional) (fictional)The brash rival to Mickey Mouse in Disney cartoons; the name Walt Disney reportedly first considered for Mickey himself.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Mortimer mean?
Mortimer comes from a Norman place-name, Mortemer, meaning 'still' or 'dead water'.
How do you pronounce Mortimer?
It's said MOR-tih-mur /ˈmɔːr.tɪ.mər/ — three syllables, stress on the first.
Is Mortimer a boy or girl name?
Mortimer is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Mortimer?
Mortimer has always been uncommon in America, cresting in the nineteen-tens; it reads as decidedly old-fashioned and has not revived.