Michaael
A masculine name meaning "who is like God?" from the Hebrew elements "mi" (who) and "cha" (like) joined to "El" (God).
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Michaael. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Michaael today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Michaael births was 1988 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Michaael. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Michaael. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1988
7 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1988 SSA rank
#6,226
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Michaael: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Michaael by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Michaael during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Michaael
The name Michael is derived from the Hebrew name Mikha'el, which means "who is like God?" or "one who is like God." It is a rhetorical question implying that no one can be compared to God. The name has its roots in ancient Hebrew and has been in use for thousands of years.
The name Michael is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible, including in the Book of Daniel, where Michael is referred to as an archangel and a protector of Israel. In the New Testament, Michael is described as the leader of the heavenly armies against Satan and his followers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Michael was in the 5th century BC, when a Jewish man named Michael ben Berekhyah is mentioned in the Book of Ezra. The name continued to be popular among Jews and later gained popularity among Christians as well.
Throughout history, there have been many notable individuals named Michael. One of the earliest and most famous was Michael the Archangel, the leader of the heavenly armies mentioned in the Bible. In the 12th century, Michael the Great was a prominent Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Kiev.
Another famous Michael was Michael Scot, a Scottish scholar and mathematician who lived in the 13th century and was known for his translations of works on astrology, alchemy, and philosophy. Michael Servetus, a 16th-century Spanish theologian and Renaissance humanist, was burned at the stake for his heretical beliefs.
In the 19th century, Michael Faraday, an English scientist, made significant contributions to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. Michael Collins, an Irish revolutionary leader, played a crucial role in the fight for Irish independence in the early 20th century.
People
Michaael + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Michaael as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Michaael: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Michaael?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Michaael going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Michaael a common name?
We classify Michaael as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Michaael most popular?
The single biggest year for Michaael was 1988, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Michaael is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Michaael in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Michaael a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Michaael in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Michaael still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Michaael in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Michaael can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Michaael as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.