Mordecai

I think of Regular Show then Johnny Depp.

Candida .... yeast .... ooh that's a belter

Alot of Jewish/Torah/Old testament names have been assimilated into the mainstream and used by certain Christian sects for years. Noah, Jacob, Adam, Asher, Caleb, Elijah, Isaac, Levi, Nathan, Samuel, Moses James, Joseph, Joshua, John, Uri, Ariel, Balthazar etc etc. I suspect some of these were considered 'odd' once upon a time but have gradually just become 'the norm'.

Sounds like an ointment

Ah yes! I wondered why I wasn’t in love with it and couldn’t quite articulate. I think it’s the Mord. I just don’t like the sound which is probably why I also don’t like the name Maud. Cai/Kai are nicer shortenings/nicknames of it though… I think it has a ring of Ezekiel to it, which someone was contemplating using on here recently I think. I can imagine the two names on siblings perhaps.

But if you’re Jewish, I believe it’s far more common? I know someone with it as a surname though but have never come across it as a first name personally - but then I don’t know many people with Jewish heritage.

If you love it OP, go for it! No doubt lots don’t like the names I love…

What about Michael?

I understand what you are saying and it sounds nice the way you say it. My own name sounds very different in different parts of the country. Try saying the name in accents like the West Midlands where the stresses are different to you. Not criticising a West Midlands accent (my name sounds alright there!) just you can’t guarantee what your child’s name will sound like said back to you when we have such varied accents in this country. And people (like me) who are coming across the name for the first time and stumble over the pronunciation. I knew a mish-elle who was driven to distraction by moving to a place where she was me-shell. She hated it. Emphasis very much on the first syllable and she hated sounding so pretentious correcting it when it was the normal way of saying it there. Other people may like the sound of me-shell to mish-elle.

I never knew how to say kookai either but the K rather than c would make me want to sound the Kai to rhyme with eye. Cai is a more difficult sound to decipher to me. Maybe because I know a Cain well (pronounced cane).

When faced with a new word for the first time we can only go on best guesses for what it sounds like. If I ever come across the name I know how to say it now!

Do you want to name him after a relative? put it as a middle name. It's a bit old for a baby. You can find another name with another root having the same meaning.

I like it. And Malachi. They were both on my list before DS was born, pretty near the top, but in the end we went for another Biblical name that shortens more easily.

I think of Mordecai Roberts from the Chrestomanci books.

I'd think it's fairly unusual, but quite nice. I would worry a bit about the spelling though, and I don't think it shortens particularly easily.

It brings to mind an ultra Orthodox Jewish man, with the long black coat and everything. Nothing wrong with that if that's what you're going for, although I don't think it has a particularly pleasant sound TBH. Other Jewish names eg Malachi as mentioned up thread sound much more mellifluous.

It also makes me think of undertakers, not sure why, maybe because 'Mord' sounds a bit like 'Morte'.

You're right! Oops :)

Its awful sorry

💯 percent agree. Very questionable

You can't be 'very' Jewish. You're either Jewish or not.

Many Mordechais I know (I am Jewish) are shortened to Mordcha, Motti, Mordi etc.

I thought of Fiddler on the Roof, although I checked and it seems that character was called Mordcha not Mordecai.

I think if you’re Jewish it’s fine. Would probably be shortened by friends.
If not Jewish I would why you chosen a very obviously Jewish name

Never once have I heard cai pronounced as kay. The i alone should be indicative that the i sound is stressed.

The ending of cai is pronounced in exactly the same way as it is in kookai (for those whom remember the fashion brand).

Several of my ancestors were called Mordecai, it's a lovely name. (And yes, I'm Jewish).

It's a great Jewish name and all the posters branding it "weird" and "appalling" are being straightforwardly ignorant. It's not a name I would choose as a) not Jewish and b) I think it would be hard to shorten, and it feels a bit of a mouthful for a toddler. But if you love it OP go for it.

No, the boy in Children of the Corn is called Malachai

Erm….

I love it - it's one of my favourite names. I'd assume that you were religious - probably Jewish - but that would be as far as it went.

Interesting. I think you have to think about different accents. I know my name is pronounced very differently depending where I am in the country. Like Theo can be Feeoh, Michelle can be Me-shell. The last too syllables could sound like Dicky or ducky.

It looks a prestigious name written down but how it sounds on a day-to-day basis is important. He would probably be known as Dec or Kai as everything gets shortened by mates.

I love it