2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Michalos
A Greek surname derived from the given name Michael, meaning "who is like God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Michalos. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Michalos surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Michalos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Michalos, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Michalos
The surname Michalos has its origins traced back to Greece, particularly the regions of Macedonia and Epirus. The name is believed to have derived from the Greek personal name "Michalos," which itself is a variant of the more common name "Michael." This personal name is rooted in the Hebrew name "Mikha'el," meaning "who is like God."
The earliest known records of the surname Michalos date back to the 14th century. It is documented in various historical manuscripts and records from that period, including church records and tax rolls. The name is also found in some medieval Greek literature and poetry, indicating its prevalence among the Greek populace during that time.
One notable early bearer of the surname Michalos was Ioannis Michalos, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the late 15th century. He was born in Ioannina, Epirus, and is recognized for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek texts and his teachings on philosophy and rhetoric.
In the 16th century, the name Michalos appeared in the records of the Venetian Republic, which had control over parts of Greece at the time. A notable figure from this period was Georgios Michalos, a merchant and ship owner from the island of Crete, who was involved in the lucrative trade between Venice and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The 17th century saw the emergence of the Michalos family as landowners and prominent figures in the region of Thessaly. One such individual was Panagiotis Michalos, born in 1620, who was a wealthy landowner and benefactor of the local church in the town of Trikala.
In the 19th century, the surname Michalos gained further recognition with the birth of Athanasios Michalos (1819-1891), a Greek politician and statesman who played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. He later served as a member of the Greek parliament and was a vocal advocate for the unification of the Greek territories.
Another notable figure with the surname Michalos was Konstantinos Michalos (1870-1952), a renowned Greek painter and architect. He was born in Athens and studied at the School of Fine Arts in Athens, later becoming known for his contributions to the neoclassical architectural style that was prominent in Greece during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michalos
Among Census respondents with the surname Michalos, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Michalos bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Michalos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Michalos
Michalos appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,218 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 13,218 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 7,701 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Michalos surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #137,327 | #145,028 | -5.6% |
| Count | 122 | 116 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Michalos bearers went from 122 to 116 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 7,701 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #145,028.
FAQ
Michalos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Michalos?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Michalos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Michalos?
Michalos ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Michalos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Michalos.
Has Michalos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Michalos went from 122 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Michalos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Michalos, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Michalos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Michalos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Two or More Races (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Michalos (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Michalos mean?
A Greek surname derived from the given name Michael, meaning "who is like God." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Michalos (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Michalos?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.