Moses
Moses was the 515th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 583 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 119th; the most babies were born in 2016 (669). Over the last ten years it has moved down 47 places. More babies were named Moses in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning drawn out (biblical); perhaps Egyptian 'born of' · Hebrew, Egyptian
Say it MOH-ziz /ˈmoʊzəs/
- Rank in 2025
- #515 boys, down 21 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 583boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2016669 babies
- Total since 1880
- 43,342babies recorded
What does the name Moses mean?
Moses is the English form of Hebrew Mosheh, the prophet who leads the Israelites out of Egypt. In Exodus 2:10 the pharaoh's daughter names him because she "drew him out" of the water, a play on Hebrew mashah, to draw out; DMNES repeats that Hebrew reading. The JPS translators' note and Wiktionary instead point to an Egyptian origin: an element meaning "born of," common in Egyptian names that say a god "bore" the child. The name came into English through Greek and Latin Bibles; DMNES notes it was common among medieval Jews and spread to Christians mainly from the 16th century.
מֹשֶׁה (Biblical Hebrew, “Moses (Mosheh)”)mashah (Biblical Hebrew, “to draw out (wordplay in Exodus 2:10)”)ms (Egyptian, “born of, child (proposed)”)
How sure is this? Disputed. The Bible explains the name with a Hebrew pun on 'draw out'; most modern scholars favor an Egyptian origin ('born of'). DMNES gives the Hebrew reading.
Related names: Moshe, Moises, Moisés, Musa, Moe.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Moses', DMNES (Durham University)
- Exodus 2:10, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition, with translators' note (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
- Wiktionary, entry 'Moses' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Moses
The usual nicknames for Moses are Mo and Mose. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Moses in the last five years, 3 were named Mose, against 4 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mo · also for Muhammad, Mohamed, Maureen | Modern | — | — |
| Mose | Traditional | #4,213 | 93 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Mosess go by each one.
Moses popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 51 since 1925, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #515 | 583 |
| 2020 | #494 | 595 |
| 2010 | #502 | 515 |
| 2000 | #458 | 520 |
| 1990 | #587 | 293 |
| 1980 | #445 | 350 |
| 1970 | #598 | 184 |
| 1960 | #459 | 301 |
| 1950 | #397 | 291 |
| 1940 | #343 | 275 |
| 1930 | #326 | 288 |
| 1920 | #286 | 383 |
| 1910 | #197 | 132 |
| 1900 | #181 | 117 |
| 1890 | #206 | 64 |
| 1880 | #119 | 111 |
How popular is Moses, counting every spelling?
Moses is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #518 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #515 for Moses on its own. Together these spellings went to 583 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moses | 583 | #515 | 2,884 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Moses?
583 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Moses (0.16 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Moses born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Moses.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Moses?
About 28,600 people born in the US named Moses are alive today, with a median age of 26; half are between 13 and 48. That makes Moses mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Moses by state
How common Moses was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Washington (1.9×), Colorado (1.7×), Oregon (1.7×), New York (1.7×), Iowa (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Moses: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Moses, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Moses · Sibling names for Moses
Questions about the name Moses
What does Moses mean?
Moses is usually explained as “drawn out (biblical); perhaps Egyptian 'born of'”, but this is disputed. Certainty: disputed.
How popular is the name Moses?
Moses was the 515th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 583 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 119th; the most babies were born in 2016 (669). Over the last ten years it has moved down 47 places. More babies were named Moses in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Moses a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Moses in the US.
Where is Moses most popular?
In 2021–2025, Moses was most common in Washington (0.64 per 1,000 boys), followed by Colorado and New Mexico.