Michah
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "Who is like the Lord?"
Name Census estimates that about 388 living Americans carry the first name Michah. It is a predominantly male name (95.7% of registrations). The average person named Michah today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Michah births was 2001 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Michah. 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
388
~ 1 in 883,387 Americans
Peak year
2001
15 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,835
Tracked since 1976
Gender
Gender distribution for Michah
Michah leans heavily male at 95.7% of total registrations, but 17 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Michah as a male name
- Ranked #11,835 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2001 (15 births)
Michah as a female name
- Ranked #19,550 in 2007
- 5 female births in 2007
- Peak: 1992 (7 births)
Popularity
Michah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Michah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 103 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Michah 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 Michah 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 Michah
The name Michah is derived from the Hebrew language and has its roots in ancient Semitic cultures. It is believed to have originated from the Hebrew word "mi-kha-yah," which means "who is like God?" or "one who resembles God."
Michah was a relatively common name in ancient Israel and can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. One of the most notable historical references to this name is the Book of Micah, which is believed to have been written by the prophet Micah, who lived in the 8th century BC during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
The earliest recorded example of the name Michah can be found in the Book of Judges, where it is mentioned as the name of a man from the hill country of Ephraim. This reference dates back to around the 12th century BC.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Michah. One of the earliest was Michah ben Imlah, a Hebrew prophet from the 9th century BC who is mentioned in the First Book of Kings and the Second Book of Chronicles.
Another notable Michah was Michah the Morashtite, a prophet from the 8th century BC who is the author of the Book of Micah in the Old Testament. His prophecies criticized the rulers of Israel and Judah for their injustice and oppression.
In the medieval period, there was Michah Joseph ben Gurion, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 11th century AD. He is known for his work on the Talmud and Jewish law.
During the Renaissance, Michah Durie was a Scottish philosopher and writer who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his works on theology and his advocacy for religious tolerance.
In more modern times, Michah ben Yosef Akiva was an influential Hasidic rabbi and teacher who lived in the 18th century. He was a leader of the Chabad Hasidic movement and is known for his teachings on Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Michah, which has its roots in ancient Hebrew and Semitic cultures, reflecting a deep reverence for the divine.
People
Michah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Michah 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
Michah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Michah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 388 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Michah 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 883,387 US residents.
Is Michah a common name?
We classify Michah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 397 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Michah most popular?
The single biggest year for Michah was 2001, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Michah is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Michah a male name?
Yes, 95.7% of people registered as Michah 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.
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.