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

Michelle, 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 Michelle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Michelle in America

Michelle is the 31587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Michelle surname appeared 732 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Michelle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Michelle 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 Michelle

Michelle is a French surname with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old French name Michel, which itself is derived from the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God?" or "gift from God."

The surname Michelle first appeared in records from the Île-de-France region of northern France, particularly in and around Paris, in the 12th and 13th centuries. It was likely adopted as a surname by families with ancestors named Michel or as a descriptive name for someone with a pious or saintly character.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Jean Michelle, a merchant from Paris who was mentioned in a legal document from 1287. Another early reference is found in the Livre des métiers, a medieval guild register from Paris, which lists a Pierre Michelle, a winemaker, in 1292.

In the 14th century, the surname spread to other regions of France, including Normandy and Brittany, where it took on various spellings such as Michiel, Michault, and Michaux. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the influence of other languages like Norman French.

Notable historical figures with the surname Michelle include:

1. Jacques Michelle (1530-1598), a French jurist and author from Paris.
2. Pierre Michelle (1585-1657), a French painter and etcher from Champagne.
3. Nicolas Michelle (1610-1667), a French mathematician and astronomer from Lyon.
4. Jean-Baptiste Michelle (1683-1766), a French botanist and physician from Normandy.
5. Charles-François Michelle (1719-1794), a French architect and urban planner from Paris.

The surname Michelle has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Micheville in Lorraine, Michelet in Normandy, and Michery in Burgundy, which may have contributed to its widespread use as a surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Michelle

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

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 Michelle 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 Michelle 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 Michelle was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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