Meaning: Its source is a Hebrew expression meaning "Savior."

Languages: This boy's name is used in Hebrew and Yiddish.

Variant Forms: Moishi

Narrative: An alternate meaning, ''drawn out of the water,'' recalls the scriptural story of the future leader of the Jews, saved from the Nile by Pharoah's daughter. Other authorities connect Moshe with Eyptian dynastic names such as Rameses (''born of the god Ra'').