Moss

Where Moss comes from

Moss hasn't made it into the dictionaries we draw on, and nobody well known enough for an encyclopedia has carried it yet — so for now its story is the one the SSA record tells. Names that spell a familiar sound a new way often live here for a while before anyone writes them down.

Along the way
  1. 1891
    First appearance
    #963 among boys, 5 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1901
    Peak, #943
    6 babies named Moss — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1902
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births.
  4. 1904
    Moss Hart born
    American playwright, librettist, and theatre director
  5. 1981
    Moss Burmester born
    Olympic Swimmer
In the dictionary

No dictionary entry for this spelling — which is its own kind of rare.

Namesakes
  • Moss Hart · American playwright, librettist, and theatre director, 1904–1961
  • Moss Burmester · Olympic Swimmer, born 1981
  • Moss Cass · Australian politician, 1927–2022
  • Moss Mabry · American costume designer, 1918–2006
  • Moss Keane · Irish rugby union player, 1948–2010

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.