Head to head · Boys' names
Frederick vs Moshe
#435 vs #435 in 2025
Frederick and Moshe share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#435). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Frederick leads 3 measures of 6; Moshe leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Frederick #39, Moshe — — Frederick higher
- 1890s: Frederick #52, Moshe — — Frederick higher
- 1900s: Frederick #65, Moshe — — Frederick higher
- 1910s: Frederick #55, Moshe — — Frederick higher
- 1920s: Frederick #63, Moshe — — Frederick higher
- 1930s: Frederick #73, Moshe — — Frederick higher
- 1940s: Frederick #72, Moshe #2499 — Frederick higher
- 1950s: Frederick #89, Moshe #1375 — Frederick higher
- 1960s: Frederick #112, Moshe #1286 — Frederick higher
- 1970s: Frederick #135, Moshe #923 — Frederick higher
- 1980s: Frederick #196, Moshe #750 — Frederick higher
- 1990s: Frederick #311, Moshe #702 — Frederick higher
- 2000s: Frederick #463, Moshe #620 — Frederick higher
- 2010s: Frederick #506, Moshe #531 — Frederick higher
- 2020s: Frederick #467, Moshe #477 — Frederick higher
Frederick stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Frederick | Moshe |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #39 | — |
| 1890s | #52 | — |
| 1900s | #65 | — |
| 1910s | #55 | — |
| 1920s | #63 | — |
| 1930s | #73 | — |
| 1940s | #72 | #2499 |
| 1950s | #89 | #1375 |
| 1960s | #112 | #1286 |
| 1970s | #135 | #923 |
| 1980s | #196 | #750 |
| 1990s | #311 | #702 |
| 2000s | #463 | #620 |
| 2010s | #506 | #531 |
| 2020s | #467 | #477 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Frederick
- England & Wales#55
Moshe
Not charting outside the US.
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Frederick
Peaceful ruler
Two Germanic elements: one about peace, one about rule or power. The compound is transparent in German, where both halves are still recognizable words, and completely opaque in English, which borrowed the whole thing and none of the parts.
Fridurih → Friedrich → Frederick
How it traveled
The name means peace and the kings who carried it spent their reigns at war. The Prussian line took it four times, fought Austria for a province and kept it, fought most of Europe at once and survived, and built a state whose defining institution was its army; the great one of them wrote a treatise against political cynicism as a young man and then conducted a reign that reads as an argument against it.
Moshe
"drawn out of the water" in the Hebrew reading; "born of, son of" in the Egyptian reading
The book of Exodus explains the name from the Hebrew verb mashah, to draw out, because the child was drawn from the Nile. Many scholars instead connect it to the Egyptian element msy, "is born" or "son of", the same piece found in pharaonic names like Thutmose and Ramesses. Both readings are serious and both are old; the name carries them together.
Mōšeh (Hebrew) → Mōusēs (Greek) → Moyses (Latin) → Moses (English) → Moshe
How it traveled
Moshe is the Hebrew original, Mōšeh, of a name the rest of the world met in translation. The Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible rendered it Mōusēs, Latin made it Moyses, and English arrived at Moses — while Arabic took its own route to Mūsā, a prophet named repeatedly in the Qur'an.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Frederick
FRED-rik
Two or three syllables depending on how carefully the middle one is said; most English speakers give it two. German gives all three and pronounces the ch as a rasp.
- Fred — The standard English short form; plain, adult and universally understood.
- Freddie — The same softened; unisex, warm and entirely current.
- Rick — Built from the back; a complete given name in its own right.
Moshe
MOH-sheh
Two syllables, stress on the first, with the final vowel sounded — not "mosh." Many American speakers say MOH-shuh. The Yiddish form, spelled Moyshe, begins MOY-, and people who grew up with that pronunciation may reach for it first.
- Moish — The most widespread informal short form in American Jewish communities; rarely used on documents.
- Moishy — Affectionate form used mainly for children and among family.
- Mo — The general-purpose English shortening, easy for classmates and coaches; also stands alone as a given name.
- Moshiko — Israeli diminutive, formed with the -iko ending; common in casual Hebrew speech.
- Also Moshy.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Frederick if you want…
- a name holding steadyFrederick is holding its place on the charts
- a name that charts abroad tooFrederick is on the national lists of England & Wales
- a long American recordFrederick was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 49% for Moshe
Choose Moshe if you want…
- a name on the way upup 82 places on the charts in five years
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Moish, Moishy and Mo
- a newer arrivalMoshe entered the US charts in 1942
- a name that feels very nowMoshe is climbing the charts fast
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Frederick
Strengths
- Three short forms in three quite different registers.
- The meaning is concrete and can be given to a child in two words.
- It has been in continuous English use for a thousand years.
To consider
- The record carries it for girls in small numbers, so it is not quite an absolute signal.
- Frederic and Fredrick are both current and spelling it out is a permanent job.
- It is a long formal name and other people will shorten it immediately.
Moshe
Strengths
- An unbroken written record going back to the Hebrew Bible, with the same spelling used continuously in Jewish communities ever since.
- Recognized worldwide through its relatives: Moses in English, Musa in Arabic, Moisés in Spanish.
- Short and phonetic — five letters, two syllables, spelled the way it sounds once heard.
To consider
- The final vowel gets swallowed by English speakers who read it cold, producing "mosh" or MOH-shee. Most children with this name learn to correct it early, and the correction is a short one.
- Moshe reads unmistakably as Hebrew and as Jewish. Within the communities where it is common that is the point; outside them, it will be a marker wherever it goes.
- It shares its territory with Moses, Moishe and Moyshe, so relatives and paperwork may drift between spellings. Choosing one and sticking to it saves trouble later.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Frederick
12%chance Frederick feels dated by 2040
Frederick has held the top-100 across 8 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
Moshe
49%chance Moshe feels dated by 2040
Moshe is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Frederick and Moshe in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Classics hiding in plain sight
- British invasion: UK favorites still rare in the US
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- Nine-letter names, the long end of the chart
- all guides
Where Frederick and Moshe each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Frederick or Moshe — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Frederick or Moshe?
- They tie in 2025: Frederick ranked #435 with 728 babies; Moshe ranked #435 with 728 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Frederick or Moshe?
- Moshe. Over the last five years Frederick moved up 49 places; Moshe moved up 82 places.
- Which is the older name, Frederick or Moshe?
- Frederick was already in use when US records began in 1880; Moshe entered the US charts in 1942. On the American record, Frederick is the older name.
- How many people are named Frederick and Moshe?
- About 136,000 people named Frederick are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 17,500 people named Moshe are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Fredericks or Moshes in the classroom?
- Frederick will almost certainly be the only one in school. Moshe will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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