#15 most-searched carol in the US · 1857
We Three Kings: the story behind the carol
Also known as We Three Kings of Orient Are
🧒 Easy for kids🏡 Great for caroling⛪ Church & choir
- Words
- John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1857)
- Music
- John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1857)
- From
- New York City, USA
- Type
- Sacred carol
The story behind “We Three Kings”
John Henry Hopkins Jr. wrote words and music in 1857 for a Christmas pageant at the General Theological Seminary in New York City — one of the first widely popular carols written in America.
Each king sings his own verse about his gift, which is why school pageants love it: three children, three crowns, three solos.
More carols like this
- Silent Night1818 · Oberndorf, Austria
- Jingle Bells1857 · Boston, Massachusetts
- Joy to the World1719 · England; tune from Boston
- O Holy Night1847 · Roquemaure, France
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing1739 · England
- Deck the Halls1862 · Wales; English words from Scotland
History retold from the carol's Wikipedia article and its sources; checked 2026-09-30.