Moshe
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "drawn out of the water".
Name Census estimates that about 16,829 living Americans carry the first name Moshe. It sits at #491 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Moshe today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Moshe births was 2023 (663 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Moshe. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
17K
~ 1 in 20,367 Americans
Peak year
2023
663 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#491
Tracked since 1942
Gender
Gender distribution for Moshe
Out of the 17,287 babies given the name Moshe since 1880, 99.9% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Moshe as a male name
- Ranked #491 in 2024
- 626 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (663 births)
Moshe as a female name
- Ranked #15,076 in 1996
- 5 female births in 1996
- Peak: 1995 (6 births)
Popularity
Moshe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Moshe from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5,162 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Moshe remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Moshe by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Moshe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Moshes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, California recorded the most babies named Moshe, while Massachusetts, Colorado, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,323 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Moshe
The name Moshe is of Hebrew origin and has its roots in the ancient Israelite culture. It is derived from the Hebrew verb "mashah," which means "to draw out" or "to pull out." The name is closely associated with the biblical figure Moses, who was drawn out of the Nile River by Pharaoh's daughter.
Moshe is mentioned extensively in the Hebrew Bible, particularly in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books recount the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and guiding them through the wilderness towards the Promised Land. Moses is regarded as one of the most pivotal figures in Jewish history and is revered as a prophet, lawgiver, and leader.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Moshe can be traced back to ancient Israel, where it was likely given to male children in honor of the biblical Moses. Over the centuries, the name has been borne by numerous individuals of historical significance within the Jewish community.
One notable figure was Moshe ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides (1135-1204 CE), a renowned Jewish philosopher, theologian, and physician. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential scholars in Jewish history, with his works, such as the Mishneh Torah and The Guide for the Perplexed, shaping Jewish thought and practice for generations.
Another prominent figure was Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707-1746), an Italian Jewish scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of Jewish mysticism and ethics. His works, such as Mesillat Yesharim (The Path of the Upright), are widely studied and respected in Jewish communities.
In the modern era, Moshe Dayan (1915-1981) was an Israeli military leader and politician who played a crucial role in several wars, including the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the Six-Day War in 1967. He is remembered for his military leadership and his iconic eye patch, which became a symbol of Israeli strength and resilience.
Moshe Sharett (1894-1965) was an Israeli politician and diplomat who served as the second Prime Minister of Israel from 1954 to 1955. He played a significant role in shaping Israel's foreign policy and was a proponent of peaceful coexistence with neighboring Arab countries.
Moshe Safdie (born 1938) is a renowned Israeli-Canadian architect known for his innovative and culturally significant designs, including the famous Habitat 67 housing complex in Montreal and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
People
Moshe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Moshe as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Moshe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Moshe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16,829 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Moshe going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 20,367 US residents.
Is Moshe a common name?
We classify Moshe as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17,287 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Moshe most popular?
The single biggest year for Moshe was 2023, when 663 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Moshe is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Moshe a male name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Moshe in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.