Michon
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly French or Acadian diminutive.
Name Census estimates that about 519 living Americans carry the first name Michon. It is a predominantly female name (95.0% of registrations). The average person named Michon today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Michon births was 1964 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Michon. 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
519
~ 1 in 660,413 Americans
Peak year
1964
31 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
2011 SSA rank
#11,793
Tracked since 1941
Census
Michon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 651 people with the first name Michon, which placed it at #17,102 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
#17,102
National first-name rank
People counted
651
651 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
53.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Michon is White at 53.0%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Michon 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 Michon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.0% · 345
- Black or African American34.9% · 227
- Two or more races6.1% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 9
Gender
Gender distribution for Michon
Michon leans heavily female at 95.0% of total registrations, but 29 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Michon as a male name
- Ranked #11,793 in 2011
- 6 male births in 2011
- Peak: 2004 (7 births)
Michon as a female name
- Ranked #16,039 in 1999
- 5 female births in 1999
- Peak: 1964 (31 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Michon leans strongly female. 562 people counted with this name were female (86.2%), compared with 90 male bearers (13.8%).
Popularity
Michon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Michon from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 179 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
Michon 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 Michon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Michons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Nevada, Washington recorded the most babies named Michon, while Washington, Nevada, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Michon
The given name Michon is of French origin, derived from the diminutive form of the name Michel, which is the French equivalent of the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God." The name Michon likely emerged during the Middle Ages in France, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Michon can be found in the 14th century French epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose," written by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, where a character named Michon is mentioned. This suggests that the name was in use during that time period.
In the 15th century, a French poet and composer named Michon Baudet gained recognition for his contributions to the Burgundian court of the Valois dukes. He was born around 1420 and is believed to have died sometime in the late 15th century.
During the 16th century, a French lawyer and diplomat named Michon Bourgoing served as a secretary to King Henry IV of France. He was born in 1567 and played a significant role in negotiating the Treaty of Vervins in 1598, which ended the Franco-Spanish War.
In the 17th century, a French painter named Michon Meytens became known for his portraiture work. He was born in 1648 and served as a court painter to various European royalty, including the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.
Moving into the 18th century, a French author and playwright named Michon Bernadin de Saint-Pierre gained fame for his novel "Paul et Virginie," published in 1788. He was born in 1737 and his works explored themes of nature and human emotions.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Michon throughout history, showcasing its French roots and usage over several centuries. While the name may not be as common today, it holds a rich historical significance and reflects the cultural influences of the French language and literature.
People
Michon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Michon 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
Michon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Michon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 519 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Michon 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 660,413 US residents.
Is Michon a common name?
We classify Michon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 584 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Michon most popular?
The single biggest year for Michon was 1964, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Michon is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Michon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 651 people with the name Michon, or 0.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,102 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 Michon 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 Michon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Michon leans strongly female. 562 people counted with this name were female (86.2%), compared with 90 male bearers (13.8%). 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 Michon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Michon is White at 53.0%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Michon most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Michon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.0% (345 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 Michon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Michon a female name?
Yes, 95.0% of people registered as Michon 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 Michon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Michon 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 Michon 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 called Michon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.