Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Moshe

Moshe (מֹשֶׁה) is the Biblical Hebrew form of Moses. The ancient Hebrew name “Moshe” was probably derived from the Egyptian root “mes” meaning “born of” (or son) – more specifically “born of a certain god” which, in the case of the Hebrews, would be Yahweh. Therefore, some etymologists conclude that Moshe means “born of Yahweh; son of Yahweh”. The Biblical Book of Exodus tells the story of Moshe’s (Moses) birth and life. Right after Moses’ birth in Egypt, his mother placed the infant in a reed basket and set it afloat on the Nile River. Her intention was to protect her son from Pharaoh’s orders that all male Hebrew babies be killed. Guess who spots the baby floating down the river? Pharaoh’s own daughter. In Exodus 2:10, she names him Moses, “Because”, she said, “I drew him out of the water.” As a result, there is some folk etymology suggesting that Moses means “saved or delivered (from the water)” but this is generally accepted as invented. Moshe/Moses, a grandson of Levi (one of Jacob’s twelve sons), is the central character in Exodus as he leads the Children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt and then receives the 10 Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. He is considered the most important prophet in Judaism and tradition holds that Moses wrote the Hebrew Torah or the first five books of the Bible. Moses has long been a popular name among Jews, but Christians eventually adopted the name during the Reformation – mostly Puritans and other Nonconformists. Even though Moses led “his people” (i.e., the Jews) to the Promised Land, he is still considered an important prophet in both Christian and Muslim tradition as well. Moshe is a lesser known and more ancient Hebrew form of Moses.

All About the Baby Name – Moshe

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME MOSHE

Romance is the hallmark of the Six personality. They exude nurturing, loving, and caring energy. Sixes are in love with the idea of love in its idealized form - and with their magnetic personalities, they easily draw people toward them. Like the number Two personality, they seek balance and harmony in their life and the world at large. They are conscientious and service-oriented, and a champion for the underdog. These personalities naturally attract money and are usually surrounded by lovely material objects - but their human relationships are always primary. They thrive in giving back to others rather than being motivated by their own desires. This is when they achieve great things. Sixes are natural teachers, ministers and counselors.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME MOSHE

Despite the fact that Moshe is one of the oldest known names in the Western World, it did not appear on the American male naming charts until 1973. So this is a name with barely two generations under its belt here in the United States. It’s unclear what suddenly prompted Moshe to the charts, but we’re glad it was rediscovered. Moses is actually a more anglicized form of Moshe, and so Moshe could be considered much more Jewish in its ancient Hebrew form. Still, with respect to today’s trends, more obscure Biblical names have been resurrected and seem to be finding a wider audience. Moshe is definitely an example of this, although the name has yet to reach even levels of moderate usage. Right now in the United States the Spanish Moises is the most popular form of this name followed by Moses. What’s interesting is that Moshe trails Moses pretty closely nipping at his heels on the charts. Moshe is a softer, more unique variation of Moses – and most people don’t even know the two names are even connected or that they’re both “sons of Yahweh”. Not surprisingly, Moshe is a Top 15 name in Israel and it also shows up on the Top 100 lists in both New York and New Jersey, the two states in America with the highest per capital Jewish population. It’s only a matter of time before Gentiles discover this hidden gem.

Quick Facts

ON MOSHE

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Hebrew

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

553

PRONUNCIATION:

MOH-sheh

SIMPLE MEANING:

Born of Yahweh; Saved from the water

Characteristics

OF MOSHE

Humanitarian

Community-minded

Family-oriented

Loving

Affectionate

Compassionate

Sensitive

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Moshe

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME MOSHE

Moshe is a character in Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel’s memoir, Night, published in the United States in 1960. Moshe is the temple caretaker, a humble, pious man who chants with joy in his heart, and who indulges the young Eliezer in his efforts to study and understand Jewish mysticism. Moshe is eventually expelled to Poland in 1942, being unable to prove his Hungarian citizenship. Moshe somehow escapes and makes his way back to his village to warn the Jews of the coming catastrophe, having witnessed the execution of many Jews by the Gestapo, and their humiliating and devastating treatment at their hands. The villagers ignore his warnings, putting them down to Moshe’s great imagination, or even madness. And Moshe weeps. The songs go out of his heart. He is silent. And he is proven to be right.

Moses is a major religious leader, lawgiver and prophet in the bible. According to Exodus, Moses’ mother hid him in a stream when the Egyptian pharaoh ordered that all Hebrew baby boys be killed. He is found by the pharaoh’s daughter and raised in the midst of the royal family. After he kills an Egyptian whom he finds beating a Hebrew, Moses flees across the Red Sea to escape execution. Here he marries, has children and works in the in-laws’ shepherding business. Oh, and he has his first encounter with God in the form of the burning bush. God tells him to go back and lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land. This he does, after God visits ten plagues upon Egypt due to the pharaoh’s reluctance to let the Israelites go. Moses and his people flee the Egypt via the parting of the Red Sea and make it to Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone are given by God to Moses. The Israelites then wander in the desert for forty years, and Moses dies just as they come within sight of the Promised Land. The Bible tells us he is 120 years old. This is quite a life span, with quite a lot of remarkable living packed into it, too. And we’re pretty sure he looked just like Charlton Heston.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME MOSHE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Moshe


Popular Songs

ON MOSHE

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Moshe


Famous People

NAMED MOSHE

Moshe Katsav (former President of Israel)
Moshe Dayan (Israeli politician)
Moshe Sharett (former Prime Minister of Israel)
Moshe Feinstein (orthodox Jewish scholar)
Moshe Safdie (architect)
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Jewish philosopher)
Moshe Ya'alon (Israeli politician)
Moshe Arens (Israeli politician)

Children of Famous People

NAMED MOSHE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Moshe

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME MOSHE

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Moshe