Mikael
Feminine · “Who is like God?”
Mikael is given to both — 300 girls and 5,939 boys since 1880. See Mikael as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Mikael entered the US charts in 1972, peaked at #4905 in 1976, is rarely given in 2025 — given to only a few children a year.
How old is the name Mikael?
Mikael first appears in US birth records in 1972 — 53 years ago. The typical Mikael alive today was born around 1995, making them about 30 years old. About 300 people named Mikael are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Mikael most popular?
Mikael peaked in 1976, reaching #4905 nationally. See the whole 1976 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Mikha'el to Mikael
The story of Mikael
The name begins as Hebrew Mikha'el, borne in scripture by the archangel of the Book of Daniel. Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible wrote it Michaēl, Latin kept it as Michael, and from there it spread through Christian Europe in dozens of shapes. Mikael is the form that settled in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Estonia, where the k stands where English writes ch; the identical spelling is standard in Ethiopia and Eritrea, reaching Ge'ez and Amharic through the eastern church rather than through Scandinavia. Two long journeys, one destination on the page.
Meaning
Who is like God?
The Hebrew Mikha'el is a rhetorical question rather than a statement — the expected answer being no one.
How the name formed
- Mikha'el
- Michaēl
- Michael
- Mikael
Related forms: Michael · Miguel · Michel · Mikhail · Mikkel · Mikko
Pronouncing Mikael
MEE-kah-el
The Scandinavian pronunciation puts the weight on the first syllable; Ethiopian and Eritrean families more often say mee-kah-EL, and in American English mih-KAY-el is also heard. All three are correct for their tradition, so it helps to pick the one you want and say it consistently.
Nicknames for Mikael
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1972
- Most girls named
- 199819 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #4905reached in 1976
- Change vs 2016
- −37.5%5 in 2023, from 8
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Mikael in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Michael in English — same name
- Miguel in Spanish — same name
- Michel in French — same name
- Mikhail in Russian — transliteration
- Mikkel in Danish — related form
- Mikko in Finnish — related form
Mikaels among us
people named Mikael are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Mikael sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Mikael
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Mikaels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Mikael are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Mikael in 2025?
- Mikael is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Mikael with classmates?
- Mikael will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More M names
The most-given names starting with M, all years combined.
Mary#125 · Margaret#112 · Michelle#465 · Melissa#419 · Maria#87 · Martha#712 · Marie#617 · Mildred#1962
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Mikael? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Mikael and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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