Names That Mean Mouse

Mosley has seen a handful of uses — mostly among baby girls — since 2012, the year after Peyton Manning gave it to his daughter. It's much more familiar as a surname, such as that of novelist Walter Mosley.
 
Frankie Muniz used it as the middle for his son Mauz. The names derive from the same Old High German word, mus, and each have a mousy meaning.

Mosley

Mosley, former best known as the surname of author Walter, has been put in play as a first <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">name for girls</a> by football great Peyton Manning, who used the name for his twin daughter, sister of Marshall. Alternate spellings are Moseley and Mosely and the first syllable rhymes with Rose.

This rare name received national attention in 2021 when actor Frankie Muniz and his wife Paige named their son Mauz Mosley. The variation they used stems from the Hebrew word Mauzzim, literally translating to "fortresses" (mauz would be the singular, "fortress"). Some versions of the Bible interpret Mauzzim in context as "God's protectors."
 
Mauz is also a common German surname derived from the Old High German word for mouse, mus. In ancient times, Maus was a nickname for mousy or timid people and eventually evolved into a surname for some. Separately, it is a common surname among Ashkenazi Jews, who were one of the last cultures in Western and Central Europe to adopt surnames. The government assigned surnames to many Jewish families in the 18th and 19th centuries, some, like Maus, with intentionally derogatory meanings. Mauser and Meisel are related surnames.