Michalene
Feminine form of Michael, derived from Hebrew meaning "who is like God".
Name Census estimates that about 331 living Americans carry the first name Michalene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Michalene today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Michalene births was 1947 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Michalene. 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
331
~ 1 in 1,035,512 Americans
Peak year
1947
24 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
2005 SSA rank
#18,277
Tracked since 1923
Census
Michalene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 459 people with the first name Michalene, which placed it at #21,899 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#21,899
National first-name rank
People counted
459
459 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
88.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michalene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Michalene is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Michalene described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Michalene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 405
- Black or African American4.4% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 19
- Two or more races2.0% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Popularity
Michalene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Michalene from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 143 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Michalene 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 Michalene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Michalenes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Michalene
The name Michalene originates from the Greek language and is a feminine form of the name Michael, which derives from the Hebrew name Mikhael. Mikhael is composed of the elements "mi" meaning "who" and "kha'el" meaning "like God."
Michalene gained popularity in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe, where it was influenced by the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic religious traditions. The name was often associated with the Archangel Michael, a powerful celestial figure revered in both faiths.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Michalene can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was used to refer to a noblewoman in the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. This early usage highlights the name's connection to the aristocratic classes of medieval Europe.
In the 16th century, Michalene Borgia (1501-1553), an Italian noblewoman and duchess of Camerino, gained notoriety for her involvement in the infamous Borgia family's political intrigues. Her life and actions were chronicled by various historians of the time, further cementing the name's place in history.
Another notable figure bearing the name Michalene was Michalene Buonarroti (1568-1646), a Florentine noblewoman and an accomplished poet and patron of the arts. She was a member of the renowned Buonarroti family, which included the famous Renaissance artist Michelangelo.
In the 18th century, Michalene de la Gournerie (1712-1795) was a French writer and salonnière who hosted influential literary gatherings in Paris. Her salon attracted many prominent figures of the Enlightenment period, including Voltaire and Diderot.
During the 19th century, Michalene Kresz (1831-1892) was a Hungarian opera singer and actress who achieved considerable fame for her performances in various European capitals. Her career spanned several decades and was widely celebrated by critics and audiences alike.
While the name Michalene has its roots in ancient languages and religious traditions, it has endured through the centuries, gracing the lives of notable figures from diverse backgrounds and eras. Its rich history and connection to the divine have contributed to its enduring allure and significance.
People
Michalene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Michalene 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
Michalene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Michalene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 331 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Michalene 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 1,035,512 US residents.
Is Michalene a common name?
We classify Michalene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 483 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Michalene most popular?
The single biggest year for Michalene was 1947, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Michalene is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Michalene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 459 people with the name Michalene, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,899 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Michalene in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Michalene?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Michalene leans strongly female. 459 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 5 male bearers (1.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Michalene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Michalene is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Michalene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Michalene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (405 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Michalene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Michalene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Michalene 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.
Is Michalene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Michalene 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 Michalene 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.
How many people have Michalene as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.