Moxie
A short, feisty word used as a feminine name meaning spirited determination.
Name Census estimates that about 669 living Americans carry the first name Moxie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Moxie today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Moxie births was 2021 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Moxie. 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
669
~ 1 in 512,338 Americans
Peak year
2021
57 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,160
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Moxie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Moxie from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 381 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Moxie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Moxie 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 Moxie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Moxies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Colorado recorded the most babies named Moxie, while Indiana, Colorado, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Moxie
The name Moxie is believed to have originated from the Algonquian word "maɡkssιω" which means "dark water" or "invigorating drink". This word was later anglicized to "moxie" by English settlers in the Americas, particularly in the New England region.
The earliest recorded use of the name Moxie dates back to the late 19th century when it was used as a brand name for a carbonated beverage made from gentian root and other plant extracts. The Moxie soda was created in 1876 by Dr. Augustin Thompson and became popular in the United States, particularly in the northeastern states.
While the name Moxie initially gained popularity as a brand name for the soda, it eventually transitioned into a given name, particularly for boys. The name was often chosen to represent qualities such as courage, spirit, and determination, which were associated with the beverage's invigorating and energizing properties.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Moxie was Moxie Hibbard, an American professional baseball player who was born in 1874 and played for various teams in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Another notable person with the name was Moxie Rindge, an American heiress and environmentalist born in 1875, who fought to preserve the undeveloped coastal lands in California.
In the 20th century, the name Moxie gained further popularity, particularly in the United States. One notable individual was Moxie Perlmutter, an American actor and comedian born in 1901, who appeared in numerous Broadway plays and Hollywood films. Another was Moxie Brid, a Canadian artist and illustrator born in 1919, known for her whimsical and imaginative works.
Moxie Crimefighter Jesperson, born in 1941, was an American activist and advocate for victims of sexual assault, who founded organizations dedicated to supporting survivors and raising awareness about these crimes.
While the name Moxie has its origins in the Algonquian language and was initially associated with a popular beverage, it has evolved into a unique and distinctive given name, often chosen to represent qualities of strength, resilience, and determination.
People
Moxie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Moxie 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
Moxie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Moxie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 669 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Moxie 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 512,338 US residents.
Is Moxie a common name?
We classify Moxie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 674 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Moxie most popular?
The single biggest year for Moxie was 2021, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Moxie is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Moxie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Moxie in the SSA data are female. 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.