The surname Moses
A Greek patronymic surname, carried by 39,216 people in the United States.
Pronounced /ˈmoʊzəs/ 2 syllables Soundex M220 Also a first name
Origin
Greek origin
From Latin Mōsēs, from Ancient Greek Μωσῆς (Mōsês), from earlier Μωυσῆς (Mōusês), from Biblical Hebrew מֹשֶׁה (mōšê). Further etymology is unclear, but it is sometimes conjectured to derive from Egyptian ms-s (msj, “to give birth to”), a common element in Egyptian names of the form ‘[name of deity] is the one who bore him’; or, alternatively, contains Egyptian N35A (mw, “water”).
Moses is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
One of 45 Greek surnames on this site.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 39,216 people named Moses in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 7,873 Americans. That is up 6.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 36,814.
Who is named Moses
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
55% of people named Moses identified as white (not Hispanic), 34% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.2% as American Indian and Alaska Native.
- White (not Hispanic) 55%
- Black (not Hispanic) 34%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 3.2%
- Two or more races 2.7%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 2.0%
Famous Mosess
19 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Edwin MosesAmerican track and field athlete, born 1955
- Grandma MosesAmerican painter (1860–1961)
- Robert MosesAmerican urban planner (1888–1981)
- Mark MosesAmerican actor, born 1958
- William R. MosesAmerican actor, born 1959
- Senta MosesActress, born 1973
- China MosesAmerican singer and TV host, born 1978
- Ed MosesAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, former world record-holder, born 1980
- George H. MosesAmerican politician (1869-1944)
- Steve MosesAmerican ice hockey player, born 1989
- Bob MosesAmerican musician, born 1948
- John MosesAmerican politician (1885–1945)
Notable Mosess come mostly from the United States (16), Norway (1) and Australia (1).
Spellings and sound-alikes
Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling
Surnames that sound like Moses
Moses has the Soundex code M220, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M220.
Other Greek surnames
Questions
- Where does the surname Moses come from?
- From Latin Mōsēs, from Ancient Greek Μωσῆς (Mōsês), from earlier Μωυσῆς (Mōusês), from Biblical Hebrew מֹשֶׁה (mōšê). Further etymology is unclear, but it is sometimes conjectured to derive from Egyptian ms-s (msj, “to give birth to”), a common element in Egyptian names of the form ‘[name of…
- How common is the surname Moses?
- 39,216 people in the United States had the surname Moses in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,873 Americans. It ranked 887th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname Moses?
- In the 2010 Census, 55% of people named Moses identified as white (not Hispanic), and 34% as Black (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named Moses?
- Edwin Moses, American track and field athlete, followed by Grandma Moses.
- Where is the surname Moses most common?
- Wikidata records people named Moses in the United States, Norway and Australia and 1 other country.
- How do you pronounce Moses?
- Moses is /ˈmoʊzəs/, 2 syllables.
- What type of surname is Moses?
- Moses is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
- Is the surname Moses getting more or less common?
- More common. 36,814 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 39,216 in 2010, up 6.5%.
- Is Moses also a first name?
- Yes. Moses is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.