Michial
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?"
Name Census estimates that about 879 living Americans carry the first name Michial. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Michial today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Michial births was 1954 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Michial. 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
879
~ 1 in 389,937 Americans
Peak year
1954
57 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1994 SSA rank
#8,438
Tracked since 1925
Census
Michial in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 499 people with the first name Michial, which placed it at #20,625 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
#20,625
National first-name rank
People counted
499
499 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michial
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Michial is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Michial 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 Michial at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 412
- Black or African American8.0% · 40
- Two or more races3.6% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 6
Popularity
Michial: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Michial from the 1920s through to the 1990s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 414 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Michial 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 Michial during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Michials live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Michial, while Oregon, Kentucky, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Michial
The name Michial originates from the Hebrew language and culture, with its roots traced back to ancient biblical times. It is a variant spelling of the name Michael, which derives from the Hebrew phrase "mi ka-El," meaning "who is like God." This name was prominent among the Israelites and has been associated with the Archangel Michael, a figure revered in both Jewish and Christian traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Michial appears in the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible, where it was borne by one of the tribal leaders of the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt. This biblical reference underscores the antiquity and significance of the name within the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Michial. In the 4th century AD, Saint Michial of Synnada was a Christian martyr who endured persecution for his faith during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Another prominent figure was Michial Scot, a 13th-century Scottish philosopher, mathematician, and translator who played a pivotal role in introducing Aristotelian philosophy to the Latin West.
During the Renaissance period, Michial Angelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance artist widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time, renowned for his works such as the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the iconic sculpture of David. His name, a variant of Michial, further solidified the name's place in cultural history.
In the realm of literature, Michial Drayton (1563-1631) was an English poet who gained recognition for his topographical poems, including the famous "Poly-Olbion." His works celebrated the landscapes and history of England, contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage through his writings.
Another notable figure was Michial Faraday (1791-1867), an English scientist who made groundbreaking contributions to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His pioneering work laid the foundations for modern fields of physics and chemistry, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential scientists of the 19th century.
These examples illustrate the rich history and cultural significance of the name Michial, which has been borne by individuals across various disciplines, ranging from religious figures to artists, poets, and scientists, leaving an indelible mark on the tapestry of human civilization.
People
Michial + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Michial 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
Michial: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Michial?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 879 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Michial 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 389,937 US residents.
Is Michial a common name?
We classify Michial as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,123 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Michial most popular?
The single biggest year for Michial was 1954, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Michial is about 63 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Michial in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 499 people with the name Michial, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,625 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 Michial 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 Michial?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Michial appears almost entirely male. Of the 495 people counted with this name, 99.6% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Michial?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Michial is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Michial most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Michial in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (412 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 Michial in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Michial a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Michial 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.
Is Michial still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Michial 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 Michial 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 are named Michial?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Michial at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.