Mikkel
A traditionally Scandinavian masculine name derived from the name Michael, meaning "who is like God".
Name Census estimates that about 863 living Americans carry the first name Mikkel. It is a predominantly male name (97.3% of registrations). The average person named Mikkel today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mikkel births was 2004 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mikkel. 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
863
~ 1 in 397,166 Americans
Peak year
2004
29 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,679
Tracked since 1947
Gender
Gender distribution for Mikkel
Mikkel leans heavily male at 97.3% of total registrations, but 24 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Mikkel as a male name
- Ranked #6,679 in 2024
- 13 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2004 (29 births)
Mikkel as a female name
- Ranked #12,806 in 1995
- 6 female births in 1995
- Peak: 1994 (7 births)
Popularity
Mikkel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mikkel from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 246 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Mikkel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mikkel 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 Mikkel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mikkels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mikkel
The given name Mikkel has its origins in the Danish and Norwegian languages, and is a variant of the name Michael, which in turn is derived from the Hebrew name Mikha'el. The name Michael means "who is like God" in Hebrew, with "mi" meaning "who", "ke" meaning "like", and "El" referring to God.
Mikkel emerged as a popular name in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages, particularly in Denmark and Norway. It is believed that the name was introduced to the region through the spread of Christianity, as many biblical names became popular during this time.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Mikkel can be found in the Danish Chronicle of Saxo Grammaticus, written in the early 13th century. In this historical work, a character named Mikkel is mentioned as a Danish nobleman.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mikkel. One of the most famous was Mikkel Rasmussen (1508-1584), a Danish Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Reformation in Denmark.
Another prominent figure with the name Mikkel was Mikkel Pedersson (1543-1628), a Norwegian writer and historian who authored the first comprehensive history of Norway, known as the "Norges Beskrivelse" (Description of Norway).
In the field of art, the Danish painter Mikkel Sverre (1887-1964) gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits, and his works are held in various museums across Scandinavia.
Mikkel Arenfeldt Fjelldal (1910-1992) was a Norwegian architect and urban planner who made significant contributions to the development of Oslo's architectural landscape in the mid-20th century.
More recently, Mikkel Hansen (born 1987) is a Danish handball player who has won numerous championships and accolades, including being named the World Handball Player of the Year in 2011 and 2015.
While the name Mikkel has its roots in Scandinavia, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with Danish or Norwegian cultural influence.
People
Mikkel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mikkel 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
Mikkel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mikkel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 863 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mikkel 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 397,166 US residents.
Is Mikkel a common name?
We classify Mikkel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 889 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mikkel most popular?
The single biggest year for Mikkel was 2004, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mikkel is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mikkel a male name?
Yes, 97.3% of people registered as Mikkel 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.
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.