About Moshe
Moshe is the Hebrew form of Moses, a name central to Jewish scripture and tradition. Its likely Egyptian root means “son,” while the biblical story connects it with being drawn from water. Modern bearer Moshe Safdie adds a substantial architectural association, especially through his experimental housing project Habitat 67.
Meaning and biblical background
Moshe is written מֹשֶׁה in Hebrew. The name is most likely related to the Egyptian element mes, “son.” Exodus offers a different explanation, connecting it with the Hebrew verb masha, “to draw out,” after Pharaoh’s daughter rescues the infant from the Nile.
The story’s explanation and the proposed Egyptian origin belong to different parts of the name’s history. The rescue from water remains an essential association in the biblical narrative, even though it may not describe the name’s earliest linguistic source.
In Exodus, Moses and his brother Aaron confront Pharaoh and demand the Israelites’ release. Moses then leads the people out of Egypt and receives the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. Those episodes account for the name’s enduring religious importance.
Pronunciation and related forms
Hebrew Moshe is approximately moh-SHEH, with two syllables and stress on the last. The sh sound is a clear difference from English Moses. Moishe is a Yiddish form in the same family.
Other forms include Arabic Musa, French Moïse, and Italian Mosè. These are historically related names used in different languages and religious settings. Moshe preserves the Hebrew form rather than the English spelling familiar from many Bible translations.
Moshe Safdie and Habitat 67
Architect, urban planner, educator, and author Moshe Safdie studied at McGill University and apprenticed with Louis Kahn. He founded his own firm in 1964 to realize Habitat 67, developing ideas from his undergraduate thesis.
The Montreal project became a major housing demonstration at the 1967 World Exposition. It used prefabricated box-like units to explore how dense city housing might offer some of the benefits usually associated with a separate house.
The residences step back to provide private roof gardens. Pedestrian streets connect the homes, and the complex includes outdoor space and play areas. The arrangement makes the relationships between home, garden, and neighbourhood central to the design.
Habitat’s 158 residences demonstrate an ambition to combine industrial construction with individual domestic space. Safdie’s wider work includes civic and cultural institutions, public parks, and urban plans, giving Moshe a connection with the design of both buildings and communities.
American popularity
Moshe was given to 277 boys in the United States in 2000 and 455 in 2010. The local SSA series reached its highest annual count in 2025, with 728 boys and a rank of #436.
The rise concerns this exact Hebrew spelling. Moses, Moishe, and other related forms have their own records and are not included in those figures.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Existing Wiktionary material is attributed under CC BY-SA 4.0 where applicable. Popularity figures use the local Social Security Administration exact-spelling series; counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.
- Wiktionary: Moshe (English)
- Wiktionary: Moshe (French)
- SSA national name data
- Wikidata: Moshe ben Maimon
- Wikidata: Moshe Dayan
- Wikidata: Moshe Katsav
- Wikidata: Moshe Sharett
- Safdie Architects: biography
- Safdie Architects: Habitat67
Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
How popular is Moshe?
In 2025, Moshe ranked #436 among boys in the United States, with 728 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1942; its largest annual count was 728 in 2025. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.