Mischa
Feminine · “who is like God?”
Mischa is given to both — 1,693 girls and 198 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Mischa is Michael, worn down by Russian into something small and affectionate. Mikhail becomes Misha at home, and the German spelling of that is Mischa, which is how the name reached western Europe and America. In Russia it belongs to boys; outside it, it is given to both.
How old is the name Mischa?
Mischa first appears in US birth records in 1953 — 72 years ago. The typical Mischa alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 1,700 people named Mischa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Mischa most popular?
Mischa peaked in 2008, reaching #1762 nationally. Today it ranks #4987, 3,225 places below that high. See the whole 2008 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Mikha'el to Mischa
The story of Mischa
Russian naming runs on affectionate forms: almost nobody is called by their full name in ordinary speech, and Mikhail is Misha to everyone who knows him. The word is also the standard name for a bear in Russian folk tales, which is why a bear was the mascot of the Moscow Olympics. German speakers wrote the name Mischa, and that spelling carried it into western Europe. Outside Russia it has been used for girls as often as boys since the nineteen-eighties.
Meaning
who is like God?
Hebrew Mikha'el is a rhetorical question, who is like God, asked of the archangel. Russian Mikhail is the same name, and Misha is its standard affectionate form. The German spelling writes the sh sound as sch.
How the name formed
- Mikha'el
- Mikhail
- Misha
- Mischa
Related forms: Миша · Misha · Michael · Michael
Pronouncing Mischa
MEE-shuh
Two syllables, stress in front, the sch said as a plain sh. Some English speakers say MISH-uh with a short first vowel, and both are heard.
Nicknames for Mischa
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
- 1953
- Most girls named
- 2007119 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1762reached in 2008
- Change vs 2024
- +23.8%26 in 2025, from 21
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.
Mischa in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Миша in Russian — transliteration
- Misha in English — spelling variant
- Michael in Hebrew — related form
- Michael in German — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Florida, New York.
Mischas among us
people named Mischa are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 61,818 born in 2025 was named Mischa
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Nubia test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Mischa's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Nubia climbed just as high around 1993, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Nubia's path sketches the road Mischa is walking now.
Mischa sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Mischa is headed
Mischa is easing off slowly — about 15% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Mischa beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Mischa in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It connects to Michael, one of the most-used names in the world.
- It works for a child of either sex outside Russia, which some families want.
- The sound is soft and easy, and small children can say it early.
- In Russia and among Russian speakers it is unambiguously a boy's name.
- Mischa, Misha and Mysha are all in use, so the spelling will be asked for.
- The sch is a German spelling and looks harder than it is.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Mischa to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Mischa? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Mischa
Feminine · #4987 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Mischas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Mischa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Mischa in 2025?
- Mischa ranks #4987 among US girl names in 2025, with 26 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Mischa?
- About 1 in every 61,818 US girls born in 2025 was named Mischa — 26 in all.
- Will my child share the name Mischa with classmates?
- Mischa will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Mischa
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Perri#4987 · Giannina#4987 · Karisma#4987 · Zuleyka#4987 · Mccall#4987 · Makinley#4987 · Jayani#4987 · Mela#4987
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Mischa? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Mischa and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle