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Michael - Origin and Meaning of the name

Meaning of the name Michael
 
 

 


The boy name Michael [ 2 syll. mic-hae(l), mi-cha-el ] is also used as a girl name, but it is much more common for boys. Its pronunciation is MAYKahL KEY. Michael is used chiefly in the Czech, English, and German languages, and its origin is Hebrew. Michael has the meaning Who is like God?. Biblical name derived from the elements 'miy' meaning who ; 'el' meaning God, powerful. Mikhael (Hebrew) is an original form of Michael. The name was borne in the Bible by the archangel Michael, regarded as Roman Catholics as a saint. In the medieval period, he was often considered as the field commander of the army of God and the patron saint of soldiers. The name was thus popular with early Christian military leaders, including eight Byzantine emperors and the founder of the House of Romanov in Russia. The name was first adopted by English speakers as early as the 12th century; it saw a slight dip in popularity in the 19th century before a revival in the 20th. In Ireland, the short form Mick has traditionally been used as a byname for any Irishman, reflecting the long-standing popularity of the name. See Michael for more info. The name Michaela (Dutch, English, and German) is the female form of Michael.

The name Michael is used to a great extent; it has 32 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants of Michael used in English include Micheal (also used in Scottish) and Mikel (also used in Basque). Other English variants include the short forms Mick, Midge, and Mike, and the pet forms Mickey, Micky, Mikey, and Misha (also used in Russian).

Foreign variants of Michael include Maik (German), Meical (Welsh), Micael (Portuguese), Micha (German), Michail (Russian), Michal (Polish), Michel (Czech, French, and German), Michele (Italian), Miguel (Portuguese and Spanish), Mihai (Romanian), Mihangel (Welsh), Mihály (Hungarian), Mika (Finnish), Mikael (Scandinavian), Mikail (Russian), Mikhail (Russian), Mikhailo (Ukrainian), Mikkel (Scandinavian), Mikko (Finnish), Miquel (Catalan), Mischa (German and Russian), Mìcheal (Scottish), and Mícheál (Irish).

See also the related forms, Micah (English, German, and Welsh), Michelangelo (Italian), and Miles (English).

Michael is very popular as a baby name for boys. The name's popularity jumped from the 1920s up to the 1960s. At the peak of its usage in 1969, 4.656% of baby boys were given the name Michael. Its ranking then was #1. The baby name has since experienced a fall in popularity. In 2007, its usage was 0.992% and its ranking #2, but it was nonetheless the most popular out of all boy names in its group. In 2007, Michael was more widely used than the next most popular name, Miguel (Portuguese and Spanish), by 4 times. Michael has predominantly been a boy name in the past century. In 1994, boys named Michael outnumbered girls by 221 times.

Baby names that sound like Michael include Micheal (English and Scottish), Mìcheal (Scottish), Mícheál (Irish), Maxwell (English and Scottish), Meical (Welsh), Micael (Portuguese), Michail (Russian), Michal (Polish), Michel (Czech, French, and German), Michele (Italian), Miguel (Portuguese and Spanish), Mikael (Scandinavian), Mikail (Russian), Mikel (Basque and English), Mikhail (Russian), Mikkel (Scandinavian), Mitchel (English), Mitchell (English), Micolau (Catalan), Mihangel (Welsh), Mikhailo (Ukrainian), Mikolaj (Polish), Miquel (Catalan), Misael (English and German), and Mishael (Hebrew).

KEY: Pronunciation for Michael: M as in "me (M.IY)" ; AY as in "hide (HH.AY.D)" ; K as in "key (K.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)"


Details of famous persons named Michael:
Actor Robert Blake, born Michael James Vijencio Gubitosi, 18 September 1933, Nutley, New Jersey.
Actor Michael Caine, born Maurice Micklewhite, 14 March 1933, London, England.
Actor Michael Chiklis, born 30 August 1963, Lowell, Massachusetts.
Actor Michael Douglas, born 25 September 1944, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Actor Michael Ealy, born 3 August 1973, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Actor Michael J. Fox, born 9 June 1961, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Actor Michael Keaton, born Michael Keaton Douglas, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.
Actor Michael Richards, born 24 July 1949, Culver City, California.
Actor M. Emmet Walsh, born Michael Emmet Walsh, 22 March 1935, Ogsdensburg, New York.
Astronaut Michael Collins, born 31 October 1930, Rome, Italy.

Popularity Trend
for Michael
from 1900 to 2007Variant Popularity Chart
for Michael
in 2007

Meaning of Michael Meaning of Mike Meaning of Midge Meaning of Mick Meaning of Mickey Meaning of Micky Meaning of Mikey Meaning of Misha Meaning of Mikel Meaning of Micheal Meaning of Michaela Meaning of Michael Meaning of Michelangelo Meaning of Micah Meaning of Miles