Musa
A surname with several possible roots, most often linked to the Biblical and Islamic personal name Musa (Moses).
The #8,773 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 82,641 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Musa is used as a surname in several traditions, so it is best treated as having more than one possible origin. In many cases it comes from the Arabic personal name Musa, the standard form of Moses, ultimately from Hebrew Mosheh. In some European contexts, especially where the name appears in older scholarship, it may also be influenced by Latin or learned forms connected with the classical name Musa.
History
As a family name, Musa is found in Muslim, Jewish, and some Christian communities, reflecting the spread of the personal name across the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and later diaspora communities. The name is common as a given name in Islamic tradition because Musa is the Qur'anic form of Moses. In some records it may also appear independently in places where surnames were formed from a father's personal name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Arabic, Musa is the form of the name that corresponds to Moses, one of the most widely shared biblical names across religious traditions.
From the historical record
“Afon [River] Gwy is also called Wye River), although the Wei. Conwy is Englished Conway : — |- O.E. muSa, river- mouth] WHADDON (Eng.) Bel. to Whaddon (fairly common), the A.-Sax. Hwdetedun = the”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)