boy's name
Moshe
MOH-sheh
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 19,869
the United States
#435
2025 births
Moshe is a boy's name of Hebrew origin, the original form of Moses. The Bible explains it as "drawn out of the water", but that is a Hebrew pun on a name that is almost certainly Egyptian — the element in Thutmose and Ramesses, meaning born of.
- Moshe is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 728 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,554 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1942.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Moshe over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 82 |
| 1950s | 343 |
| 1960s | 390 |
| 1970s | 854 |
| 1980s | 1,510 |
| 1990s | 2,269 |
| 2000s | 3,592 |
| 2010s | 5,162 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,836 |
What Moshe means
Moshe is explained in Exodus as drawn out, from a Hebrew verb. Linguists generally read it instead as the Egyptian mose, a child or one born, which appears at the end of several pharaohs' names.
Where Moshe comes from
Moshe is the Hebrew form of Moses. Exodus has Pharaoh's daughter name the child because she drew him out of the water, which works as Hebrew wordplay on mashah, to draw out — but the grammar gives an active sense, one who draws out, rather than a passive one. The more widely accepted derivation is Egyptian: mose or mesu, a child or one born of, the element in Thutmose, born of Thoth, and Ramesses, born of Ra. An Egyptian name for a figure raised in an Egyptian court is unsurprising. Moshe remains the standard Hebrew form and appears in our records from 1942.
Moshe in use
Moshe charts in only four of the seven countries we track and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Moshe?
In 2025, Moshe was given to 728 babies in the United States, ranking #435 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Moshe is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Moshe is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Moshé | Moshé is a rare spelling of Moshe, written with an acute accent and recorded about 95 times, mostly in France. | 95 |
Names that peaked alongside Moshe
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Moshe also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Moshe over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Moshe
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Moshe in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Moshe
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Moshe — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Moshe
What does the name Moshe mean?
The Bible explains it as drawn out of the water, but linguists generally read it as the Egyptian mose, born of — the element in Thutmose and Ramesses.
Is Moshe the same as Moses?
Yes. Moshe is the Hebrew form; Moses is the Greek and English one.
How do you pronounce Moshe?
MOH-sheh, two syllables.
How popular is the name Moshe?
In 2025, Moshe was given to 728 babies in the United States, ranking #435 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Moshe a girl's or a boy's name?
Moshe is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Moshe?
Moshe has 2 syllables.
When was Moshe most popular?
Moshe peaked in 2025, when 728 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Moshe?
Moshe is usually shortened to Mo.
Is Moshe a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Moshe currently ranks #435 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.