Find out how popular the last name Michaels is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Michaels.

Michaels, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Michaels surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Michaels in America

Michaels is the 2057th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Michaels surname appeared 17,528 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Michaels.

We can also compare 2010 data for Michaels to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Michaels

Michaels is an English patronymic surname derived from the popular medieval given name Michael, which itself originates from the Hebrew name Mikhael, meaning "who is like God?". The surname Michaels emerged in England during the late medieval period as a way to identify individuals by their father's given name.

The earliest known record of the surname Michaels dates back to the late 13th century, with a mention of a William Michaels in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1285. In the following centuries, the name appeared in various historical records across England, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, where a John Michaels was listed.

One notable early bearer of the Michaels surname was Sir John Michaels (c. 1400-1468), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Wiltshire during the reign of King Henry VI. Another historical figure was William Michaels (c. 1510-1572), a English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Michaels also appeared in various spellings, such as Michaell, Michell, and Michels, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling at the time. An example of this variation can be found in the records of the Hertfordshire Visitation of 1634, which mentions a Thomas Michell of Buntingford.

One of the earliest known individuals to bear the Michaels surname in North America was Richard Michaels, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635. Another early bearer was John Michaels, who settled in Maryland in 1675.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Michaels, including:

1. Joannes Michaels (c. 1570-1649), a Dutch engraver and printmaker known for his etchings and engravings of religious subjects.
2. Sir Henry Michaels (1675-1744), an English politician and Member of Parliament for East Grinstead from 1722 to 1744.
3. John Michaels (1789-1857), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Mercantile Library of Philadelphia.
4. Wilhelmina Michaels (1861-1928), a German-American artist and illustrator known for her work in children's literature.
5. Lewis Michaels (1919-2003), an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader who performed with notable musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Michaels

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Michaels.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Michaels was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Michaels has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Michaels was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Michaels, please contact us.

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