Find out how popular the first name Moses has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Moses by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Moses is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 100% of people named Moses being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 523 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Moses.

The history of the first name Moses

The name Moses has its origins in the ancient Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew word "moshe," which means "to draw out" or "to pull out." This name is believed to have been given to Moses because he was drawn out of the waters of the Nile River as a baby.

The name Moses is first mentioned in the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament. According to the biblical account, Moses was born to Hebrew parents during the time when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. His mother placed him in a basket and set him adrift on the Nile River to save him from the Pharaoh's decree to kill all newborn Hebrew boys. He was later found and adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter, who named him Moses.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moses dates back to around the 13th century BCE, when the biblical figure Moses is said to have lived. In the biblical narrative, Moses is portrayed as a prophet and leader who led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Moses. One of the most famous is Moses Maimonides (1135-1204 CE), a renowned Jewish philosopher, theologian, and physician who lived in Spain and Egypt. Another notable figure is Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786), a German Jewish philosopher and writer who contributed significantly to the Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment movement.

Other historical figures with the name Moses include Moses ben Maimon (Rambam) (1135-1204 CE), a renowned Jewish philosopher, theologian, and astronomer; Moses Hayyim Luzzatto (1707-1747), an Italian Jewish philosopher and poet; and Moses Sofer (Schreiber Sofer) (1762-1839), a prominent Hungarian rabbi and author.

While the name Moses has its roots in ancient Hebrew culture and the biblical narrative, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and religions throughout history, often as a testament to the significant impact and influence of the biblical figure Moses.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Moses was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Moses, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!