Mosiah
Of Hebrew origin, the name meaning "drawn out of water".
Name Census estimates that about 748 living Americans carry the first name Mosiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mosiah today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mosiah births was 2024 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mosiah. 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
748
~ 1 in 458,228 Americans
Peak year
2024
48 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,724
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Mosiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mosiah from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 307 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mosiah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mosiah 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 Mosiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mosiahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Mosiah, while Utah, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mosiah
The given name Mosiah has its roots in ancient Hebrew, originating from the time when the Israelites were still a united kingdom under the reign of King Solomon, around the 10th century BCE. It is derived from the Hebrew word "moshiah," which means "deliverer" or "savior." This name has a strong religious connotation and is often associated with the concept of salvation or deliverance from oppression.
The name Mosiah is prominently mentioned in the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). In the Book of Mormon, Mosiah is the name of two significant figures: Mosiah I, a king of the Nephites who lived around 150 BCE, and his grandson, Mosiah II, who reigned from approximately 124 BCE to 91 BCE. These figures played crucial roles in the narrative of the Book of Mormon, and their names have become significant within the LDS faith.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Mosiah can be found in the biblical Book of Exodus, where it is mentioned as the name of one of the sons of Levi, the patriarch of the Levite tribe. However, the name itself is not widely attested in ancient Hebrew texts beyond this reference.
Throughout history, the name Mosiah has been relatively uncommon, but a few notable individuals have borne this name:
1. Mosiah I (c. 210 BCE - c. 148 BCE), a king of the Nephites in the Book of Mormon, known for his leadership and commitment to justice.
2. Mosiah II (c. 148 BCE - c. 91 BCE), the grandson of Mosiah I and a renowned king of the Nephites, known for his wisdom and his efforts to preserve the teachings of his forefathers.
3. Mosiah Lyman Hancock (1824-1892), an early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a pioneer who helped establish settlements in Utah and Idaho.
4. Mosiah Hancock (1834-1913), a son of Mosiah Lyman Hancock and a prominent leader in the LDS Church, serving as a stake president and a member of the General Authority.
5. Mosiah L. Hancock (1865-1942), a grandson of Mosiah Lyman Hancock and a leader in the LDS Church, serving as a stake president and a member of the General Authority.
While the name Mosiah has remained relatively uncommon outside of specific religious contexts, it carries a rich historical significance and a connection to ancient Hebrew and LDS traditions, representing the concept of deliverance and leadership.
People
Mosiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mosiah 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
Mosiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mosiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 748 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mosiah 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 458,228 US residents.
Is Mosiah a common name?
We classify Mosiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 756 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mosiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Mosiah was 2024, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mosiah is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mosiah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mosiah 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.