Musa
Musa was the 470th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 651 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 460 places. More babies were named Musa in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Arabic form of Moses · Arabic, Hebrew
Say it MOO-suh /ˈmusə/
- Rank in 2025
- #470 boys, up 274 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 651boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025651 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,140babies recorded
What does the name Musa mean?
Musa is the Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Swahili form of Moses, whom Islam honors as a prophet and messenger (rasūl). Wiktionary traces Arabic Mūsā ultimately to Biblical Hebrew Mosheh. In Exodus 2:10 the name is explained as "drawn out" of the water, a Hebrew wordplay, while the JPS translators' note points to an Egyptian element meaning "born of." Wiktionary records Musa in many languages of Muslim communities, from Turkish and Albanian to Hausa, Swahili and Malay.
مُوسَى (Arabic, “Moses”)מֹשֶׁה (Biblical Hebrew, “Moses”)
How sure is this? Disputed. As with Moses: biblical wordplay ('draw out') versus a proposed Egyptian origin ('born of').
Related names: Moses, Moussa, Mousa, Moshe, Moisés.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Musa' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Exodus 2:10, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition, with translators' note (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Moses', DMNES (Durham University)
Musa popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 31 since 1891.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #470 | 651 |
| 2020 | #744 | 326 |
| 2010 | #1,319 | 130 |
| 2000 | #2,007 | 51 |
| 1990 | #3,269 | 19 |
| 1980 | #3,372 | 13 |
| 1970 | #5,217 | 5 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Musa, counting every spelling?
Musa is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #469 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #470 for Musa on its own. Together these spellings went to 659 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musa | 651 | #470 | 2,345 |
| Mussa | 8 | #9,439 | 27 |
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 Musa?
651 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Musa (0.18 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Musa 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 13 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Musa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Musa?
About 6,000 people born in the US named Musa are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 3 and 15. That makes Musa a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Musa by state
How common Musa was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (2.9×), Michigan (2.7×), New Jersey (2.5×), Maryland (2.5×), Illinois (2.4×). In 23 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 Musa: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Musa, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Musa · Sibling names for Musa
Questions about the name Musa
What does Musa mean?
Musa is usually explained as “Arabic form of Moses”, but this is disputed. Certainty: disputed.
How popular is the name Musa?
Musa was the 470th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 651 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 460 places. More babies were named Musa in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Musa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Musa in the US.
Where is Musa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Musa was most common in New York (0.78 per 1,000 boys), followed by Michigan and New Jersey.