Given name & surname
Moe
“a dark-skinned man”
Moe is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “a dark-skinned man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One American interpretation is “a dark-skinned man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
How it developed
In English usage, Moe is a diminutive of Maurice. In English usage, Moe is a diminutive of Moses.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1888. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Moe is a diminutive of Moses. The history of Moses gives this family its wider story. Moses appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Moe through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 795
- 733 boys · 62 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 49 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #8,041 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +48%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,041 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 49 in 1916. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,247 as a first name in 2020; 12,124 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Moe’s family of names
In English usage, Moe is a diminutive of Maurice. Moe has a related form in Mo. In English usage, Moe is a diminutive of Moses.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Moe
- Moe HowardAmerican comedian and actor (1897–1975)
- Moe Bergbaseball player, spy (1902–1972)
- Moe DunfordIrish actorborn 1987
- Moe Herscovitchboxer (1897-1969)
- Moe MiuraJapanese idol singer and modelborn 1992
- Moe AmatsukaJapanese AV idolborn 1994
- Moe MeguroJapanese female curlerborn 1984
- Moe KamikokuryoJapanese singer, dancer, model, and actress (1999-)
- Moe IrvinAmerican actorborn 1953
Characters named Moe: Moe Szyslak (The Simpsons franchise), Moe Greene (The Godfather series).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Moe, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gomer
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Efton
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Tip
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Mosie
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Ruel
“friend of God” · “a friend of God”
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“terror” · “dread”
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מייק
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سموأل
سموأل (samawʔal) is a masculine given name from Biblical Hebrew, ultimately from English. It is used in Arabic.
>99% boys