Musah
A masculine given name of Arabic origin meaning "the one born".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Musah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Musah today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Musah births was 2006 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Musah. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Musah with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Musah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2006
5 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,392
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Musah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Musah 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 Musah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Musah
The name Musah is a masculine given name with origins in the Arabic language. It is a variant spelling and pronunciation of the name Musa, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Moshe, meaning "drawn out" or "pulled out". The name has its roots in the biblical figure Moses, a prophet and leader in the Old Testament who led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
The name Musah is most commonly found in Islamic cultures and regions with significant Muslim populations, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. It is a name steeped in religious and cultural significance, with its connection to the revered prophet Moses, who plays a central role in the Islamic faith as well as in Judaism and Christianity.
In the Quran, the Islamic holy book, Moses is referred to as Musa and is recognized as a prominent prophet who received divine revelations from God. The story of Moses and his role in leading the Israelites out of Egypt is recounted in detail, cementing his importance in Islamic tradition.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Musah can be found in the writings of the renowned Islamic scholar and historian, Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), who mentioned individuals bearing this name in his works. Another notable figure from history who carried the name Musah was Musa al-Kadhim (745-799), the seventh Imam in Shia Islam, revered for his piety and wisdom.
Throughout the centuries, the name Musah has been borne by various influential figures across the Muslim world. Some examples include:
1. Musa ibn Nusair (640-718), a military commander and governor of the Umayyad Caliphate, known for his conquest of the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) and the establishment of Muslim rule there.
2. Musa al-Kazim (745-799), the seventh Imam in Shia Islam, renowned for his knowledge, piety, and leadership.
3. Musa Ibn Shakir (786-873), an Arabic mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of algebra and trigonometry.
4. Musa I of Mali (c. 1280-1337), a powerful ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa, known for his wealth, military might, and patronage of education and culture.
5. Musa Ler (1828-1900), a renowned Muslim scholar and writer from the Hausa region of West Africa, who played a significant role in the spread of Islam and Islamic education in the region.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Musah, reflecting its enduring significance and connection to the Islamic faith and the revered prophet Moses.
People
Musah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Musah 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
Musah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Musah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Musah 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Musah a common name?
We classify Musah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Musah most popular?
The single biggest year for Musah was 2006, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Musah is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Musah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Musah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Musah 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 Musah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Musah 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 Musah 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Musah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.