Moses

Egyptian

"delivered from the water"

Moses Origin and Meaning

The name Moses is a boy's name of Egyptian origin meaning "delivered from the water".

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's choice of this white-bearded Old Testament name helped bring it into the modern age, along with brethren Elijah, Isaiah and Isaac. User-friendly nicknames include Moe and Mose.

The biblical story of Moses is, of course, one of the most familiar from the Old Testament -- Moses being found as a baby in the bulrushes, growing up to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage and into the Promised Land, then bringing down the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai.

Moshe, as in Israeli statesman Dayan, is the original Hebrew form of the name. In Spanish, it is Moises, and in Yiddish, Moishe.

A namesake from the world of sports is NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone. Mose Allison, meanwhile, is a jazz blues pianist and singer.

Moses Popularity

• 517 US 2022
• 1080 Nameberry 2024
• 416 Future 2028
• 657 England 2021