Mikela
Feminine
Mikela writes a very old name with the letters that most of Europe actually uses for it. Behind it stands an archangel who, in medieval art, is almost always doing the same specific job: holding a set of scales.
How old is the name Mikela?
Mikela first appears in US birth records in 1977 — 48 years ago. The typical Mikela alive today was born around 1998, making them about 27 years old. About 800 people named Mikela are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Mikela most popular?
Mikela peaked in 1994, reaching #2465 nationally. See the whole 1994 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Mikela
Walk into an old European church and look for the archangel. He will very often be standing with a balance in one hand, weighing a small naked figure in one pan against something in the other, while a devil tries to pull the pan down and is ignored. The image is called the weighing of souls, and it is one of the most widespread pieces of medieval art there is, painted and carved over doorways from Norway to Sicily. It is not in the Bible. It comes from a much older Egyptian idea of the heart weighed against a feather, which passed through Jewish and Christian writing and attached itself to this particular archangel, who then kept the job for a thousand years. He is also the patron of soldiers, grocers and anybody who weighs things for a living.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name behind it is Michael, whose Hebrew sense is well documented. Whether this spelling is Michaela respelled, a Scandinavian or Slavic form brought to America, or an independent build is not recorded, and the three are indistinguishable on a certificate.
Pronouncing Mikela
mih-KAY-luh
Three syllables with the weight in the middle. mih-KEL-uh is also heard, which is the Italian reading of the same letters.
Nicknames for Mikela
Moderate
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
- 1977
- Most girls named
- 199451 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2465reached in 1994
- Change vs 2020
- +60.0%8 in 2023, from 5
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.
Mikela in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Michela in Italian — same name
- Michaela in Czech — same name
- Mikaela in Danish — same name
Mikelas among us
people named Mikela 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
Mikela 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
The trade-off
- The k removes the argument that the ch in Michaela always starts, so the name is read correctly more often.
- It works in several European languages without adjustment.
- Mika comes off the front as a short form and stands perfectly well alone.
- Michaela, Mikayla and Makayla are all commoner in America, so this spelling will be corrected regularly.
- Two readings of the middle vowel are current and the spelling settles neither.
- No origin is documented for this exact form, so the meaning question belongs to the longer name.
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Mikela
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Mikelas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Mikela are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Mikela in 2025?
- Mikela is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Mikela with classmates?
- Mikela 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 Mikela? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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