2000
#11,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Michell
An English occupational surname for a person who was a big man or the chief of a clan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,792 Americans carry the last name Michell. That puts it at #17,650 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 191,269 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Michell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Michell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 191,269
Census rank
#17,650
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,563 bearers of the surname Michell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17650th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Michell, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (10.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Michell
The surname Michell has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in England and Scotland. It is believed to have derived from the Old English and Old French words "Michel" and "Michiel," which were variants of the name Michael. These names were originally derived from the Hebrew name "Mikhael," meaning "who is like God."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Michell date back to the 12th century. One of the earliest known bearers was William Michell, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1185. The surname was also recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appeared as "Michell."
During the Middle Ages, the surname Michell was primarily concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire. It was also found in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various historical records, including the Chancery Rolls of 1396, where it was spelled "Mychell." The Michell family was also mentioned in the Wiltshire Visitation of 1623, which documented the lineage of noble families in the county.
One notable bearer of the surname was Sir Francis Michell (1508-1608), an English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas and was known for his legal expertise.
Another prominent figure was John Michell (1724-1793), an English natural philosopher and geologist. He is best known for his pioneering work in the study of geology and his hypotheses about the internal structure of the Earth. Michell also made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and physics.
In the 18th century, the surname Michell was associated with the village of Micheldever in Hampshire, which derived its name from the Old English words "mycel" (great) and "yfere" (shore or bank).
Other notable individuals with the surname Michell include:
1. Walter Michell (1385-1462), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Somerset.
2. Robert Michell (1610-1677), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis.
3. Joseph Michell (1757-1840), an English sculptor known for his neo-classical works.
4. John Michell (1789-1865), an English engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of the screw propeller for ships.
5. Nancy Michell (1901-1976), a British author and playwright known for her novels and plays set in rural England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michell
Among Census respondents with the surname Michell, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (10.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Michell 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 Michell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 994
- Black or African American18.8% · 294
- Hispanic or Latino10.2% · 160
- Two or more races3.4% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Michell
Michell 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
#11,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,705
+308 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 349 places
2020
#17,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,563
-1,142 bearers (-42.2%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 6,045 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,954 | 2,397 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,605 | 2,705 | 0.92 | +308 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 349 places |
| 2020 | #17,650 | 1,563 | 0.52 | -1,142 bearers (-42.2%) | Down 6,045 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 Michell 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 | #11,605 | #17,650 | -52.1% |
| Count | 2,705 | 1,563 | -42.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.52 | -43.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Michell bearers went from 2,705 to 1,563 (-42.2% change). The surname moved down 6,045 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,605 to #17,650.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Michell
FAQ
Michell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Michell?
Name Census estimates that about 1,792 living Americans carry the surname Michell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 191,269 residents.
How common is Michell?
Michell ranks #17,650 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,563 people with the surname Michell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,792), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Michell.
Has Michell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Michell went from 2,705 recorded bearers to 1,563. That is a decrease of 1,142 (-42.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,605 to #17,650.
What does the Census say about the background of Michell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Michell, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (10.2%). 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 Michell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (994 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Michell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (18.8%), Hispanic (10.2%). 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 Michell (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 Michell mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who was a big man or the chief of a clan. 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 Michell (0.52 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 people share the surname Michell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.