Michaiah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
Name Census estimates that about 533 living Americans carry the first name Michaiah. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Michaiah today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Michaiah births was 2007 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Michaiah. 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
533
~ 1 in 643,066 Americans
Peak year
2007
32 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,524
Tracked since 1983
Gender
Gender distribution for Michaiah
Michaiah is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 541 total registrations, 132 (24.4%) were male and 409 (75.6%) were female.
Michaiah as a male name
- Ranked #10,524 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (11 births)
Michaiah as a female name
- Ranked #16,830 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (24 births)
Popularity
Michaiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Michaiah from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 235 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
Michaiah 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 Michaiah 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 Michaiah
Michaiah is a Hebrew name with roots tracing back to ancient Israel. The name is derived from the Hebrew words "mi" meaning "who" and "yah" referring to the Hebrew god Yahweh. In its original form, Michaiah translates to "who is like Yahweh?"
One of the earliest mentions of the name Michaiah can be found in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Jeremiah. Michaiah was the name of a prophet who lived during the reign of King Hezekiah in the 8th century BCE. He is remembered for speaking out against the Assyrian invasion and warning the people of Judah to repent.
The name Michaiah also appears in the Book of Chronicles, where it refers to a Levite who was among the teachers during the time of King Jehoshaphat in the 9th century BCE. This Michaiah is credited with helping to restore the knowledge of God's laws among the people of Judah.
In the New Testament, a variant spelling of the name, Michaiah, is mentioned as the father of one of the disciples, Bartholomew. This connection suggests that the name was still in use during the time of Jesus Christ in the 1st century CE.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Michaiah was a Jewish scholar and philosopher from the 11th century CE, known as Michaiah ben Jacob. He was born in Spain and is known for his works on Hebrew grammar and poetry.
Another notable figure was Michaiah ben Gershon, a Jewish philosopher and commentator from the 12th century CE. He was born in France and is best known for his writings on the Torah and Jewish law.
In the 16th century, Michaiah Peyxotto was a Jewish scholar and writer from Portugal. He is known for his work on Hebrew grammar and his defense of the Jewish faith during the Inquisition.
Moving to more recent times, Michaiah Townsend was an American soldier and politician who served in the Revolutionary War. He was born in 1749 and later became a member of the Connecticut General Assembly.
Finally, Michaiah Delano was an American author and educator who lived in the 19th century. He was born in 1815 and is known for his works on education and literature.
While the name Michaiah has its roots in ancient Hebrew and biblical history, it has been used across various cultures and time periods, reflecting its enduring significance and religious connections.
People
Michaiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Michaiah 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
Michaiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Michaiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 533 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Michaiah 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 643,066 US residents.
Is Michaiah a common name?
We classify Michaiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 541 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Michaiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Michaiah was 2007, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Michaiah is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Michaiah a female name?
Yes, 75.6% of people registered as Michaiah in the SSA data are female. 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.