Michela
A feminine Italian name derived from the masculine Michael, meaning "who is like God".
Name Census estimates that about 2,069 living Americans carry the first name Michela. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Michela today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Michela births was 1998 (99 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Michela. 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
2.1K
~ 1 in 165,662 Americans
Peak year
1998
99 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,120
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Michela: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Michela from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 722 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Michela 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 Michela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Michelas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. New York, California, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Michela, while Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 78 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Michela
The name Michela is a feminine Italian name derived from the Hebrew name Michael, which means "who is like God?" The name has its roots in the ancient Hebrew language and culture, dating back to biblical times.
In the Old Testament, Michael is one of the principal archangels and is revered as the leader of the heavenly armies against the forces of evil. The name was widely adopted in early Christianity and has been a popular name throughout Europe and the Mediterranean region for centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Michela in its Italian form can be traced back to the 12th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Michela de Ripa, a noble woman from Pisa who lived in the late 12th century.
Over the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Michela. One of the most famous was Michela de Cesena, an Italian philosopher and scholar who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of her time.
Another notable Michela was Michela Muntera, an Italian painter and artist from the 16th century who is known for her religious works and portraits. Her paintings can be found in various churches and museums across Italy.
In the field of literature, Michela Murgia was a celebrated Italian novelist and playwright who lived from 1972 to 2023. Her works often explored themes of gender, identity, and social issues, and she was a prominent voice in contemporary Italian literature.
Michela Moioli is a contemporary Italian snowboarder who competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where she won a gold medal in the snowboard cross event, becoming the first Italian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in this discipline.
While the name Michela has its origins in ancient Hebrew and early Christianity, it has become firmly rooted in Italian culture and has been a popular choice for centuries, with many notable bearers of the name leaving their mark in various fields throughout history.
People
Michela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Michela 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
Michela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Michela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,069 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Michela 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 165,662 US residents.
Is Michela a common name?
We classify Michela as "Rare". It ranks above 93.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,208 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Michela most popular?
The single biggest year for Michela was 1998, when 99 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Michela is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Michela a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Michela 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.