Mishka
A Russian diminutive form of the masculine name Mikhail, derived from Hebrew for "who is like God?".
Name Census estimates that about 732 living Americans carry the first name Mishka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mishka today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mishka births was 2019 (80 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mishka. 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
732
~ 1 in 468,244 Americans
Peak year
2019
80 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,539
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Mishka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mishka from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 426 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mishka remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mishka 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 Mishka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mishkas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Mishka, while Virginia, Florida, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mishka
Mishka is a Russian diminutive form of the name Mikhail, which is derived from the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God." The name has its roots in the Russian Orthodox Christian tradition and can be traced back to the 10th century.
The earliest recorded use of the name Mishka dates back to the 11th century, when it appeared in Russian chronicles and religious texts. During this time, the name was primarily associated with members of the Russian nobility and clergy.
In the 12th century, the name Mishka gained popularity among the common people in Russia. It was often given to boys born on the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel, which is celebrated on November 8th in the Russian Orthodox Church.
One of the most notable historical figures named Mishka was Mikhail Lomonosov (1711-1765), a Russian polymath who made significant contributions to literature, education, and science. He is widely regarded as the founder of modern Russian literature and is credited with establishing the first Russian university.
Another famous bearer of the name was Mikhail Kutuzov (1745-1813), a Russian field marshal who played a crucial role in the defeat of Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. His military tactics and leadership during the war earned him the nickname "Savior of Russia."
In the 20th century, Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-present), the last leader of the Soviet Union, was a prominent figure with the name Mishka. His policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) paved the way for the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948-present), a renowned Russian-American dancer and choreographer, is another notable bearer of the name. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century and has made significant contributions to the world of dance.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky (1963-present), a former Russian oligarch and political prisoner, is also a notable figure with the name Mishka. He was once the wealthiest man in Russia but was imprisoned for tax evasion and fraud charges, which many believed were politically motivated.
People
Mishka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mishka 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
Mishka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mishka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 732 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mishka 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 468,244 US residents.
Is Mishka a common name?
We classify Mishka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 738 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mishka most popular?
The single biggest year for Mishka was 2019, when 80 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mishka is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mishka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mishka 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.