NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Mussa

A masculine Arabic name derived from Musa, meaning "Moses" or "drawn out".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Mussa is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Mussa popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2921, with 7 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 10 births.

This profile covers 111 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 2000 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 70% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 110 living people in the UK are called Mussa. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Mussa ranked #2921 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 7 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2013, when 10 boys were registered as Mussa.
  • About 110 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mussa as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2921

2024

Births in 2024

7

Latest year

Peak year

2013

10 births

Estimated living

110

2026

Meaning

What does Mussa mean?

The name Mussa is of Arabic origin and is derived from the Arabic word "musa," which means "he who is drawn out of water." This name has its roots in the Islamic tradition and is often associated with the biblical figure Moses, who was found floating in a basket on the Nile River as a baby.

The earliest recorded use of the name Mussa can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. It gained popularity across the Middle East and North Africa as a name with religious significance among Muslim communities.

One of the most famous historical figures bearing the name Mussa is Musa al-Kazim, the seventh Imam of the Shia Islamic tradition, who lived from 745 AD to 799 AD. He was revered for his piety, knowledge, and wisdom, and his teachings and sayings continue to be studied and respected by Shia Muslims today.

Another notable historical figure with the name Mussa is Musa bin Nusayr, a military leader and the first Arab governor of Andalusia (present-day Spain) during the 8th century AD. He played a crucial role in the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula and laid the foundations for the eventual establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate in the region.

In the realm of literature, Musa ibn Abi'l-Abbas al-Majriti was an influential Arabic mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 10th century AD. He made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and trigonometry and is credited with introducing the concept of the cosine function.

Musa I of Mali, also known as Mansa Musa, was a 14th-century West African ruler who reigned over the Mali Empire from 1312 to 1337 AD. He is renowned for his vast wealth and for undertaking a legendary pilgrimage to Mecca, during which he distributed vast amounts of gold, leaving a lasting impact on the economies of the regions he passed through.

Finally, Musa al-Kadhim was an influential Iraqi politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from 1963 to 1964. He played a crucial role in the country's political landscape during a turbulent period and sought to maintain stability and unity in the face of regional tensions and conflicts.

These are just a few examples of notable historical figures who bore the name Mussa, a name with deep roots in the Arabic and Islamic traditions, and one that has been carried through the ages by individuals from various walks of life, including religious leaders, military commanders, scholars, rulers, and statesmen.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Mussa over time

The chart below shows babies named Mussa registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Mussa, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 7 births in 2024, compared with 10 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Mussa
035810200020122024

Decades

Mussa by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mussa was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #3320 28 5
2010s #3238 56 9
2000s #3216 27 6

Related

Names similar to Mussa

FAQ

Mussa: questions and answers

How popular is the name Mussa in the UK right now?

In 2024, Mussa was ranked #2921 for boys in England and Wales, with 7 births registered.

When was Mussa most popular?

The peak year on record was 2013, with 10 babies registered as Mussa in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Mussa?

A masculine Arabic name derived from Musa, meaning "Moses" or "drawn out".

How many people are called Mussa in the UK?

A total of 111 babies have been registered as Mussa across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.