Michaelpaul
A compound masculine name combining Michael, of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God", and Paul, of Latin origin meaning "small" or "humble".
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the first name Michaelpaul. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Michaelpaul today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Michaelpaul births was 1979 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Michaelpaul. 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.
People living today
109
~ 1 in 3,144,535 Americans
Peak year
1979
11 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1993 SSA rank
#9,674
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Michaelpaul: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Michaelpaul from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 76 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Michaelpaul 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 Michaelpaul during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Michaelpaul
The name Michaelpaul is an unusual combination of two distinct given names, Michael and Paul. It is not a traditional name from any particular culture or language, but rather a modern invention that combines the meanings and histories of its two components.
Michael is a name of Hebrew origin, derived from the rhetorical question "Mi ka El," which means "Who is like God?" in ancient Hebrew. The name was borne by the archangel Michael, who is revered in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It has been a popular name throughout the centuries, particularly in the Christian tradition, where St. Michael is venerated as a protector and leader of the heavenly armies against evil.
The name Paul has its roots in the Latin name Paulus, which means "small" or "humble." It was a common Roman name, borne by the apostle Paul, who played a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Paul's writings make up a significant portion of the New Testament, and his influence on the development of Christian theology and doctrine cannot be overstated.
While the combination of Michael and Paul as a single given name is relatively modern, there are a few notable historical figures who bore these names separately. St. Michael the Archangel is a significant figure in various religious traditions, and the name Michael has been popular among Christians, Jews, and Muslims throughout history. Some notable Michaels include the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos (1223-1282), the English playwright Michael Drayton (1563-1631), and the German astronomer Michael Maestlin (1550-1631).
The name Paul has also been borne by several influential individuals, including the apostle Paul (circa 5-67 AD), the Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca (known as Seneca the Younger, circa 4 BC-65 AD), the French philosopher and writer Paul-Henri Thiry d'Holbach (1723-1789), the Russian writer and philosopher Paul Florensky (1882-1937), and the American architect Paul Rudolph (1918-1997).
While the combined name Michaelpaul may not have a long historical lineage, it carries the rich symbolic meanings and cultural associations of its two components, representing humility and devotion to God. It is a unique name that reflects the diversity and creativity of modern naming practices.
People
Michaelpaul + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Michaelpaul 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
Michaelpaul: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Michaelpaul?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 109 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Michaelpaul 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 3,144,535 US residents.
Is Michaelpaul a common name?
We classify Michaelpaul as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 115 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Michaelpaul most popular?
The single biggest year for Michaelpaul was 1979, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Michaelpaul is about 43 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 Michaelpaul in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Michaelpaul a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Michaelpaul 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 Michaelpaul still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Michaelpaul 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 Michaelpaul 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 are named Michaelpaul?
Want to know how many Americans are named Michaelpaul? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.