Micheline
A feminine French diminutive form of the name Michelle, meaning "who is like God".
Name Census estimates that about 923 living Americans carry the first name Micheline. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Micheline today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Micheline births was 1951 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Micheline. 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
923
~ 1 in 371,348 Americans
Peak year
1951
50 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
2021 SSA rank
#14,679
Tracked since 1919
Census
Micheline in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,182 people with the first name Micheline, which placed it at #5,412 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
#5,412
National first-name rank
People counted
3.2K
3,182 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
51.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Micheline
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Micheline is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (41.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Micheline 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 Micheline at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.5% · 1,638
- Black or African American41.1% · 1,307
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 107
- Two or more races2.5% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Popularity
Micheline: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Micheline from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 282 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Micheline 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 Micheline during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Michelines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Micheline, while Florida, New Jersey, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 58 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Micheline
Micheline is a French feminine given name derived from the masculine name Michel, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God?". The name originated in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, as a diminutive form of Michel.
The name Micheline was particularly popular in France during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. It was often bestowed upon girls born into noble or aristocratic families, with the diminutive form being seen as a sign of endearment and affection.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Micheline can be found in the 14th-century French epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose" by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, where a character named Micheline is mentioned.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Micheline. One of the most famous was Micheline Presle (1922-2020), a French actress who appeared in over 60 films and received numerous accolades for her performances, including the Molière Award for Best Actress.
Another prominent figure was Micheline Calmy-Rey (born 1945), a Swiss politician who served as the President of the Swiss Confederation in 2007 and 2011. She was also the first woman to hold the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs in Switzerland.
In the world of literature, Micheline Wandor (born 1942) is a British poet, playwright, and critic who has authored several works exploring themes of feminism, identity, and social justice.
The name Micheline has also been associated with the world of fashion, with Micheline Prentergast (1943-2014) being a renowned French fashion designer who worked for prominent fashion houses such as Hermès and Chanel.
Finally, Micheline Roquebrune (born 1929) is a French painter and sculptor who has had her works exhibited in various galleries and museums around the world, including the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Micheline throughout history, showcasing the diverse backgrounds and achievements associated with this French feminine given name.
People
Micheline + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Micheline 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
Micheline: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Micheline?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 923 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Micheline 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 371,348 US residents.
Is Micheline a common name?
We classify Micheline as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,266 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Micheline most popular?
The single biggest year for Micheline was 1951, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Micheline is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Micheline in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,182 people with the name Micheline, or 1.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,412 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 Micheline 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 Micheline?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Micheline appears almost entirely female. Of the 3,185 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Micheline?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Micheline is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (41.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Micheline most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Micheline in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.5% (1,638 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 Micheline in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Micheline a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Micheline 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 Micheline still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Micheline 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 Micheline 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 Americans are named Micheline?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.