Head to head · Boys' names
Moshe vs Travis
#435 vs #434 in 2025
Travis is a whisker ahead (#434 vs #435 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Travis is stepping back from its peak, Moshe is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Moshe has the edge.
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, Travis leads 5 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: Moshe —, Travis #657 — Travis higher
- 1890s: Moshe —, Travis #695 — Travis higher
- 1900s: Moshe —, Travis #565 — Travis higher
- 1910s: Moshe —, Travis #420 — Travis higher
- 1920s: Moshe —, Travis #378 — Travis higher
- 1930s: Moshe —, Travis #308 — Travis higher
- 1940s: Moshe #2499, Travis #330 — Travis higher
- 1950s: Moshe #1375, Travis #368 — Travis higher
- 1960s: Moshe #1286, Travis #228 — Travis higher
- 1970s: Moshe #923, Travis #52 — Travis higher
- 1980s: Moshe #750, Travis #42 — Travis higher
- 1990s: Moshe #702, Travis #66 — Travis higher
- 2000s: Moshe #620, Travis #158 — Travis higher
- 2010s: Moshe #531, Travis #254 — Travis higher
- 2020s: Moshe #477, Travis #379 — Travis higher
Travis stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Moshe | Travis |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #657 |
| 1890s | — | #695 |
| 1900s | — | #565 |
| 1910s | — | #420 |
| 1920s | — | #378 |
| 1930s | — | #308 |
| 1940s | #2499 | #330 |
| 1950s | #1375 | #368 |
| 1960s | #1286 | #228 |
| 1970s | #923 | #52 |
| 1980s | #750 | #42 |
| 1990s | #702 | #66 |
| 2000s | #620 | #158 |
| 2010s | #531 | #254 |
| 2020s | #477 | #379 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
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.
Travis
from a crossing or a toll
An occupational surname from Norman French, describing a man stationed at a river crossing or a barrier. The word behind it is the same one that gives English traverse.
traverse → Travers → Travis
How it traveled
The most repeated story about him should be treated carefully. Every Texan schoolchild learns that he drew a line in the sand with his sword and asked the men who would stay to step across it.
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
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.
Travis
TRAV-iss
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The spelling gives no trouble and the name is never mispronounced.
- Trav — The front alone; brisk, informal and by far the commonest short form.
- Vis — The back used alone; unusual and rarely heard outside families.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
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
Choose Travis if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsTravis is stepping back from its peak
- a long American recordTravis was already in use when US records began in 1880
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
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.
Travis
Strengths
- The spelling and the sound agree completely with nothing to explain.
- Trav is a short form that sounds entirely current.
- It carries a specific and identifiable history rather than a vague one.
To consider
- Its peak generation is recent enough to date the name to a decade.
- The historical association is regional and very strong in one state.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
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 Moshe and Travis 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
Still torn between Moshe and Travis?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Hometown favorites: names only one state loves
- Names that begin and end with the same letter
- Classics hiding in plain sight
- Millennial names (born 1981–1996)
- all guides
Where Moshe and Travis each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Moshe or Travis — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Moshe or Travis?
- Travis, in 2025: Travis ranked #434 with 732 babies; Moshe ranked #435 with 728 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Moshe or Travis?
- Moshe. Over the last five years Moshe moved up 82 places; Travis moved down 97 places.
- Which is the older name, Moshe or Travis?
- Moshe entered the US charts in 1942; Travis was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Travis is the older name.
- How many people are named Moshe and Travis?
- About 17,500 people named Moshe are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 283,000 people named Travis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Moshes or Traviss in the classroom?
- Moshe will almost certainly be the only one in school. Travis will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Moshe, Travis and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap