Mikko
A masculine given name of Finnish origin meaning "a great one".
Name Census estimates that about 812 living Americans carry the first name Mikko. It is a predominantly male name (97.0% of registrations). The average person named Mikko today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mikko births was 2021 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mikko. 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
812
~ 1 in 422,111 Americans
Peak year
2021
53 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,305
Tracked since 1969
Gender
Gender distribution for Mikko
Mikko leans heavily male at 97.0% of total registrations, but 25 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Mikko as a male name
- Ranked #3,305 in 2024
- 36 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (53 births)
Mikko as a female name
- Ranked #16,935 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2019 (10 births)
Popularity
Mikko: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mikko from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 331 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mikko remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mikko 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 Mikko during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mikkos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Minnesota, California, Colorado recorded the most babies named Mikko, while Texas, Colorado, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 51 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mikko
The name Mikko has its origins in the Finnish language and culture, dating back to the medieval period. It is a diminutive form of the name Mikael or Miikka, which is the Finnish variant of the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God?"
The name Mikko was likely derived from the Old Norse name Mikkel, which was brought to Finland during the Viking Age and later adapted to Finnish pronunciation and spelling. It became a popular name among Finnish families, particularly in rural areas and small towns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mikko can be found in the Finnish epic poem Kalevala, which was compiled in the 19th century but contains elements of much older Finnish folklore and oral traditions. In the poem, there is a character named Mikko Kaukomieli, who represents a wise and cunning trickster figure.
Throughout Finnish history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the name Mikko. One of the most famous was Mikko Yrjönpoika (1507-1550), a Finnish farmer and military leader who played a significant role in the Cudgel War, a peasant uprising against Swedish rule in the 16th century.
Another prominent figure was Mikko Vilho Revonhovi (1892-1976), a Finnish politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Finland from 1944 to 1946. He played a crucial role in navigating Finland's foreign policy during and after World War II.
In the realm of arts and literature, Mikko Kilpi (1918-1992) was a renowned Finnish author and playwright, known for his works exploring themes of identity, tradition, and the human condition in a rural Finnish context.
Mikko Nousiainen (1961-2021) was a celebrated Finnish singer-songwriter and musician, known for his socially conscious lyrics and his contributions to the Finnish rock and folk music scene.
Mikko Rantanen (born 1996) is a current Finnish professional ice hockey player who has represented Finland in international competitions and plays for the Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The name Mikko continues to be a popular choice for baby boys in Finland, as it carries a deep connection to the country's linguistic and cultural heritage, while also being a recognizable and enduring name across generations.
People
Mikko + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mikko 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
Mikko: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mikko?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 812 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mikko 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 422,111 US residents.
Is Mikko a common name?
We classify Mikko as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 823 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mikko most popular?
The single biggest year for Mikko was 2021, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mikko is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mikko a male name?
Yes, 97.0% of people registered as Mikko 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.