Moses
Boy name · Egyptian · Greek · Hebrew
Meaningdrawn out · Hebrew
- US rank
- #515
- Syllables
- 1
- Peak
- #119 in 1880
583 babies were named Moses in the US in 2025. It has dropped 22 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million boys, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Moses you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Moses
Moses Mendelssohn
German-Jewish philosopher and theologian (1729–1786)
Choose Moses and your child shares a first name with Moses Mendelssohn, a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Moses, like who?” Moses Mendelssohn's Wikipedia article is available in 63 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Moses Mendelssohn on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: After Anton Graff, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 2,930 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Moses, 583 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Moses would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryMoses has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Mosess, and counting.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 1880, when it ranked #119. Today it's #515, so it could be due a comeback.
- TrendMoses has slipped 22 places over the last five years and now sits at #515. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- Where it's lovedMoses is most popular in Alaska, where it ranks #165, followed by Montana (#227) and Connecticut (#296). It's in the top 1,000 in 34 states.
- MeaningIn Hebrew, Moses means “drawn out”. Our records link it to Egyptian, Greek and Hebrew roots.
- OriginMoses is the #2 most popular Egyptian boy name in the US. That's out of 41 Egyptian boy and unisex names in our list.
About the name Moses
Moses is a boy name of Egyptian, Greek and Hebrew origin meaning “drawn out”. It has 5 letters and 1 syllable, starting with M and ending in “-ses”. US birth records list Moses for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked #119 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #515, with 583 babies.
Origin:Egyptian namesGreek namesHebrew names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 787 | 1,270 boys |
| 1890s | 659 | 1,517 boys |
| 1900s | 621 | 1,611 boys |
| 1910s | 431 | 2,322 boys |
| 1920s | 320 | 3,123 boys |
| 1930s | 257 | 3,885 boys |
| 1940s | 190 | 5,269 boys |
| 1950s | 138 | 7,245 boys |
| 1960s | 109 | 9,208 boys |
| 1970s | 170 | 5,895 boys |
| 1980s | 178 | 5,621 boys |
| 1990s | 187 | 5,343 boys |
| 2000s | 270 | 3,706 boys |
| 2010s | 308 | 3,246 boys |
| 2020s | 336 | 2,979 boys |
Other spellings of Moses
More Egyptian boy names
- Boy name: Moshe · drawn out
- Boy name: Moises · drawn out
- Unisex name: Memphis · from Memphis, Egypt
- Boy name: Phineas · the Nubian
- Boy name: Ramses · born of Ra
- Unisex name: Nile · the Nile river
- Boy name: Pinchas · the Nubian
- Boy name: Moishe · drawn out
Questions about the name Moses
What does the name Moses mean?
Moses means “drawn out” in Hebrew.
What is the origin of the name Moses?
Moses has Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew roots in our records. Other Egyptian names include Moshe, Moises, Memphis.
Is Moses a boy or girl name?
Moses is a boy name, though a few girls get it too.
How popular is the name Moses?
Moses ranked #515 for US boys in 2025, given to 583 babies. Its best year was 1880 (#119).