Moses (given name)

Moses (Greek: Μωϋσῆς),[NB 1] Moishe (Yiddish: משה‎),[NB 2] Moshe (Hebrew: משה‎),[NB 3] or Movses (Armenian: Մովսես) [NB 4] is a male given name, after the biblical figure Moses.

According to the Torah, the name "Moses" comes from the Hebrew verb, meaning "to pull out/draw out" [of water], and the infant Moses was given this name by Pharaoh's daughter after she rescued him from the Nile (Exodus 2:10)[1] After the deciphering of hieroglyphs and the beginning of Egyptology science it was postulated that the name of Moses, with a similar pronunciation as the Hebrew Moshe is the Egyptian word for Son, with the Pharaohs named Tutmose called so as the "son of Tut".

There are various ways of pronouncing the Hebrew name of Moses, for example in Ashkenazi western European it would be pronounced Mausheh, in Eastern Europe Moysheh, in northern Islamic countries Moussa, and in Yemen Mesha. The nicknames are accordingly (usually with emphasis on the first sylable) Moishe, Moysh, Maish, Moeez, Mo, Moyshee, Musie (pronounced Mooziyeh).

Jews named with the Hebrew name of Moses, commonly held a similar name in the language of the countries where they were born or lived. In Europe they were named Maurici, Maurice, Morris, Mauricio. In Arabic speaking countries, along with Moussa - the Arabic name for Moses, they were also named Mustafa.[2]

People with this name

Ancient times

Medieval
  • Moses (bishop of the Arabs) (c. 389), saint, first Arab bishop of the Arab people
  • Moses the Black (330–405), saint, ascetic monk and priest in Egypt, a Desert Father
  • Moses of Chorene (5th century; Armenian: Մովսես Խորենացի, Movsēs Xorenac‘i), Armenian historian, "father of Armenian history"
  • Moses of Kalankatuyk (7th century; Armenian: Մովսէս Կաղանկատուացի, Movses Kaġankatvac’i), Armenian historian
  • Moses the Calm (8th century; Arabic: موسى الكاظم‎, Mūsá al-Kādhim), Twelver Shia imam
  • Moses the Hungarian (990s–1043; Russian: Моисей Угрин, Moisey Ugrin), Russian saint
  • Moses ibn Ezra (1070–1138), Jewish, Spanish philosopher
  • Moses Kimhi (died c. 1190), medieval rabbi from Hachmei Provence, Occitania (modern France)
  • Moses Maimonides (1135–1204), Spanish rabbi, physician, and philosopher
  • Moses de León (c. 1250–1305; Hebrew: משה בן שם-טוב‎, Moshe ben Shem-Tov), Spanish rabbi who is thought to have composed the Zohar
  • Moses Shirvani, Jewish writer who authored a Hebrew/Aramaic–Persian dictionary in 1459

Early modern to 18th century
  • Moses ben Jacob Cordovero (1522–1570; Hebrew: משה קורדובירו‎, Moshe Kordovero), a central figure in the historical development of Kabbalah, also known as Ramak (רמ״ק)
  • Moses Isserles (1530–1572; Hebrew: משה בן ישראל איסרלישׂ‎, Polish: Mojżesz ben Israel Isserles), Polish Ashkenazic rabbi and talmudist
  • Moses Amyraut (1596–1664; also Moïse Amyraut), French theologian and metaphysician
  • Moyses Hill (died 1629), English army officer who settled in Ireland
  • Moses Cordovero (17th century), Italian physician
  • Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707–1746; Hebrew: משה חיים לוצאטו‎), Italian rabbi and poet, also known as Ramchal (רמח״ל)
  • Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786), German Jewish philosopher
  • Moses Robinson (1741–1813), judge, governor, and senator from Vermont
  • Moses Cleaveland (1754–1806), surveyor of the Connecticut Land Company
  • Moses Sofer (1762–1839; Yiddish: משה סופר‎), a leading Orthodox rabbi of European Jewry in the early 19th century
  • Moses Montefiore (1784–1885), sheriff of London

Modern

Fictional characters

Animals

Other uses
  • Moishe's, a steakhouse and supermarket food product brand from Montreal, Canada
  • Moshe's, a chain of restaurants and cafés in Mumbai, India

Notes
  1. from Latin and Greek
  2. from Yiddish
  3. from Modern Hebrew
  4. from Armenian

References
  1. Exodus 2:10
  2. Maurici Gotlieb, Ezra Mendelson chapter 1, Zalman Shazar Center Publishing (Hebrew National Library card)

See also
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