Given name & surname
Moss
“of the meadow's fortress”·“from the mossy settlement”
In Welsh use, Moss is a short form of Mostyn. Interpretations include “of the meadow's fortress” (Welsh) and “from the mossy settlement” (Welsh). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Welsh use, Moss is a short form of Mostyn. Interpretations include “of the meadow's fortress” (Welsh) and “from the mossy settlement” (Welsh). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
Moss is a short form of Mostyn.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1891. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Moss is a variant 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
Moss through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 519
- 519 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 18
- #5,334 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +68%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 18 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,334 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 68.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 457 as a first name in 2020; 74,470 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.
Moss’s family of names
Moss is a short form of Mostyn. Moss has a related form in Moses. Moss is a medieval form of Moses.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
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 Moss
- Moss HartAmerican playwright, librettist, and theatre director (1904-1961)
- Moss BurmesterOlympic Swimmerborn 1981
- Moss CassAustralian politician1927–2022
- Moss MabryAmerican costume designer (1918–2006)
- Moss KeaneIrish rugby union player (1948–2010)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Moss, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hank
“the ruler of the house” · “home”
>99% boys
Woods
“a woman of the forest” · “a man of the forest”
98% boys · 2% girls
Locke
“man of the forest” · “from the fortress”
>99% boys
Jett
“resembling the jet-black lustrous gemstone”
98% boys · 2% girls
Oxley
“from the meadow of oxen”
>99% boys
Hudson
“one who is adventurous; an explorer” · “the son of Hugh; from the river”
99% boys · 1% girls
Rowley
“from the rough meadow”
>99% boys
Seger
“warrior of the sea”
>99% boys