Explore the Family Name Moses
The meaning of Moses
1. Jewish, Welsh, African American, and African (mainly Nigeria): from the Biblical personal name borne by the Israelite leader who led the Israelites out of Egypt, as related in the Book of Exodus. The Hebrew form of the name is Moshe. It is probably of Egyptian origin, from a short form of an ancient Egyptian personal name such as Rameses or Tutmosis, meaning ‘conceived (by a god)’. However, very early in its history the name acquired a folk etymology, being taken as a derivative of the Hebrew root verb mshh ‘extract or draw (something), e.g. from water’ and was associated with a story of the infant Moses being discovered among the bullrushes by Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:1–10). As a Welsh surname, it was adopted among Dissenter families in the 18th and 19th centuries. In North America, this surname has absorbed cognates from other languages, for example Italian Moise, Hungarian Mózes (see Mozes), Assyrian/Chaldean Moshe, Arabic Musa. 2. English: variant of Moss, with post-medieval excrescent -s. 3. English: variant of Moyses, a Cornish personal name derived from Middle English Moises, a vernacular form of Moses (see 1 above).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Moses in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Moses" experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 858th compared to a slightly lower rank of 887 in 2010, reflecting a decrease of 3.38 percent. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual number of people sharing the Moses surname increased by 6.52 percent during the same period, up from 36,814 to 39,216. However, when adjusted for population growth, the proportion of individuals bearing the name per 100,000 people declined by 2.64 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #858 | #887 | -3.38% |
| Count | 36,814 | 39,216 | 6.52% |
| Proportion per 100k | 13.65 | 13.29 | -2.64% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Moses
The ethnic identity associated with the Moses surname also saw changes between 2000 and 2010, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. The proportion of individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic experienced substantial increases, by 35.33 percent and 54.76 percent respectively, while those identifying as two or more races rose by 20.54 percent. The percentage of Black individuals bearing the Moses surname also increased slightly by 1.98 percent. On the other hand, the portion of White individuals with this surname decreased modestly by 4.96 percent. Additionally, there was a small increase of 10.49 percent in those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 57.92% | 55.05% | -4.96% |
| Black | 33.8% | 34.47% | 1.98% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.86% | 3.16% | 10.49% |
| Two or More Races | 2.24% | 2.7% | 20.54% |
| Hispanic | 1.68% | 2.6% | 54.76% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.5% | 2.03% | 35.33% |
Moses ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Moses is British & Irish, which comprises 42.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (17.4%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (7.8%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Levantine, Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 42.3% |
| French & German | 17.4% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 7.8% |
| Other | 32.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Moses
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Moses have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 68.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 67.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 67.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 67.60% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 67.50% |
What Moses haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Moses is I-S2606, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-S2606 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-L38 and R-CTS9219, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Cooper, Joseph, Meyers, Klein, Stanley, Johnson, Meyer, Smith, Frank, Hill.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Moses surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Moses have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Moses" Surname 40.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Moses" Surname 23.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Moses" Surname 18.1%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Moses" Surname 20.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Moses?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Moses are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition