Mosi
A masculine Ghanaian name meaning "born on Monday".
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the first name Mosi. It is a predominantly male name (90.5% of registrations). The average person named Mosi today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mosi births was 1974 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mosi. 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
111
~ 1 in 3,087,877 Americans
Peak year
1974
13 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2022 SSA rank
#8,112
Tracked since 1973
Census
Mosi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 236 people with the first name Mosi, which placed it at #34,545 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#34,545
National first-name rank
People counted
236
236 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
72.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mosi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mosi is Black at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and White (7.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mosi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mosi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.0% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 20
- White7.6% · 18
- Two or more races7.6% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 10
Gender
Gender distribution for Mosi
Mosi leans heavily male at 90.5% of total registrations, but 11 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Mosi as a male name
- Ranked #8,112 in 2022
- 10 male births in 2022
- Peak: 1976 (10 births)
Mosi as a female name
- Ranked #9,231 in 1977
- 6 female births in 1977
- Peak: 1977 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Mosi on both sides of the split. Of the 239 people counted with this name, 175 were male (73.2%) and 64 were female (26.8%).
Popularity
Mosi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mosi from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 56 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Mosi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mosi 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 Mosi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mosi
The name Mosi has its origins in the Akan language spoken by the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa. It is believed to have originated during the 13th century, around the time of the formation of the Akan ethnic group.
Mosi is derived from the Akan word 'mo', which means 'to give birth'. It is a gender-neutral name that can be given to both boys and girls. In the Akan culture, it is often given to a child born after a period of difficulty or struggle, symbolizing the joy and gratitude of the parents for the new addition to the family.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Mosi can be found in the historical records of the Ashanti Kingdom, one of the prominent Akan states in present-day Ghana. The name appears in the oral traditions and folktales passed down through generations, indicating its widespread use among the Akan people.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Mosi was Mosi Kundor, a renowned Akan warrior and chief who lived in the 16th century. He was celebrated for his bravery and leadership during the wars against the neighboring kingdoms, and his exploits are still recounted in Akan folklore.
Another prominent individual bearing the name Mosi was Mosi Kuntu, a skilled goldsmith and artisan who lived in the 17th century. He was renowned for his intricate gold jewelry and ornaments, which were highly prized by the Akan nobility and served as symbols of wealth and status.
In the 19th century, Mosi Ameyaw was a respected Akan healer and herbalist, known for his vast knowledge of traditional medicine and his ability to cure various ailments using local plants and remedies. His teachings and techniques were passed down through generations, contributing to the preservation of Akan medicinal practices.
The name Mosi also found its way into the literary works of notable Akan authors and poets. One such figure was Mosi Akyeampong, a celebrated poet and writer in the 20th century, whose works explored themes of identity, culture, and the Akan way of life.
Another notable individual with the name Mosi was Mosi Annan, a Ghanaian diplomat and politician who served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for his efforts in revitalizing the UN and his commitment to resolving conflicts through diplomacy and dialogue.
People
Mosi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mosi 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
Mosi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mosi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 111 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mosi 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 3,087,877 US residents.
Is Mosi a common name?
We classify Mosi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 116 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mosi most popular?
The single biggest year for Mosi was 1974, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mosi is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mosi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 236 people with the name Mosi, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,545 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mosi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mosi?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Mosi on both sides of the split. Of the 239 people counted with this name, 175 were male (73.2%) and 64 were female (26.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mosi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mosi is Black at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and White (7.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mosi most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Mosi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (170 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mosi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mosi a male name?
Yes, 90.5% of people registered as Mosi 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.
Is Mosi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mosi in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mosi can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are called Mosi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.