Moshe
Moshe was the 436th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 728 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 100 places. More babies were named Moshe in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Hebrew form of Moses · Hebrew, Egyptian (proposed)
Say it MOH-sheh /ˈmoʊʃɛ/
- Rank in 2025
- #436 boys, up 82 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 728boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025728 babies
- Total since 1880
- 18,038babies recorded
What does the name Moshe mean?
Moshe is the Hebrew form of Moses. Exodus 2:10 says Pharaoh's daughter named him because she drew him out of the water, linking Moshe with the Hebrew verb mashah, "to draw out"; DMNES follows this. Wiktionary notes that many scholars see an Egyptian origin, from msj, "to give birth", found in names such as Thutmose. It is a common name in Jewish families.
משֶׁה (Biblical Hebrew, “Moses (linked to 'draw out')”)msj (Egyptian, “to give birth (proposed)”)
How sure is this? Disputed. The Bible's explanation ('drawn out') and an Egyptian origin ('born of') are both held.
Related names: Moses, Moishe, Musa, Moisés.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Moshe', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Moses', DMNES, Durham University
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Exodus 2.10, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
Nicknames for Moshe
The usual nicknames for Moshe are Moishe. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Moshe in the last five years, 5 were named Moishe, against 5 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moishe | Traditional | #3,915 | 153 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Moshes go by each one.
Moshe popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 21 since 1982.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #436 | 728 |
| 2020 | #518 | 554 |
| 2010 | #558 | 455 |
| 2000 | #654 | 277 |
| 1990 | #701 | 212 |
| 1980 | #876 | 104 |
| 1970 | #1,151 | 52 |
| 1960 | #993 | 60 |
| 1950 | #1,566 | 23 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Moshe, counting every spelling?
Moshe is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #426 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #436 for Moshe on its own. Together these spellings went to 756 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moshe | 728 | #436 | 3,282 |
| Moishe | 28 | #3,915 | 153 |
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 Moshe?
728 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Moshe (0.20 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Moshe 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 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Moshe.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Moshe?
About 17,400 people born in the US named Moshe are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 7 and 29. That makes Moshe mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Moshe by state
How common Moshe was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (12.3×), New Jersey (11.6×). In 41 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Moshe: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Moshe, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Moshe · Sibling names for Moshe
Questions about the name Moshe
What does Moshe mean?
Moshe is usually explained as “Hebrew form of Moses”, but this is disputed. Certainty: disputed.
How popular is the name Moshe?
Moshe was the 436th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 728 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 100 places. More babies were named Moshe in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Moshe a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Moshe in the US.
Where is Moshe most popular?
In 2021–2025, Moshe was most common in New York (4.66 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and Maryland.