Mischa
A masculine name of Russian origin meaning "bear".
Name Census estimates that about 1,794 living Americans carry the first name Mischa. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 89.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Mischa today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mischa births was 2008 (125 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mischa. 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
1.8K
~ 1 in 191,056 Americans
Peak year
2008
125 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,890
Tracked since 1953
Gender
Gender distribution for Mischa
Mischa leans heavily female at 89.4% of total registrations, but 198 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Mischa as a male name
- Ranked #11,844 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1981 (14 births)
Mischa as a female name
- Ranked #5,890 in 2024
- 21 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (125 births)
Popularity
Mischa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mischa from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 556 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mischa 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 Mischa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mischas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Mischa, while Colorado, Ohio, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 43 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mischa
Mischa is a name with origins in the Russian language. It is a diminutive form of the name Mikhail, which is derived from the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God?" The name Mischa emerged in Russia and other Slavic cultures in the 19th century as a familiar or diminutive form of Mikhail.
The earliest recorded use of the name Mischa can be traced back to the late 19th century in Russia. One notable bearer of this name was Mischa Elman, a Ukrainian-born violinist and conductor who lived from 1891 to 1967. He was considered one of the greatest violinists of his time and made numerous recordings that helped popularize the name Mischa in the early 20th century.
Another famous Mischa from history was Mischa Levitzki, a Russian-American pianist and composer born in 1898. He was renowned for his interpretations of Romantic piano works and was particularly admired for his performances of Chopin's compositions.
In the realm of literature, the name Mischa appeared in the works of Russian authors such as Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy. For instance, in Dostoevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamazov," one of the characters is named Mischa Rakitin.
Outside of Russia, the name Mischa gained some popularity in other parts of Europe and North America. One notable bearer was Mischa Scorer, a British actor and director born in 1909, who appeared in several films and television shows throughout his career.
Another well-known Mischa was Mischa Maisky, a renowned Russian-born cellist born in 1948. He has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras and is considered one of the finest cellists of his generation.
While the name Mischa has its roots in Russian and Slavic cultures, it has transcended geographical boundaries and has been adopted by people of various backgrounds around the world. However, its origins and historical associations remain deeply rooted in the Russian language and culture.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Mischa
People
Mischa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mischa 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
Mischa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mischa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,794 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mischa 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 191,056 US residents.
Is Mischa a common name?
We classify Mischa as "Rare". It ranks above 93.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,865 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mischa most popular?
The single biggest year for Mischa was 2008, when 125 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mischa is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mischa a female name?
Yes, 89.4% of people registered as Mischa 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.
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.