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Michel

gender-neutral name
Origin
Hebrew
Syllables
2
Peak era
1950s/2010s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Michel and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

“French form of Michael, 'who is like God?'”

The story

Read the story of Michael →

More names with stories →

Michel across languages

One shared root links 16 names across 6 languages.

Shared root: from Hebrew Mikha’el, "who is like God?" The question expresses that nobody is God’s equal; Michael is a biblical angel

The constellation

MichelFrenchMichaelEnglishMiguelSpanishMikelBasqueMicheleItalian
11 more branches of this family
MichealEnglish · variantMichaelaEnglish · feminine formMichelleFrench · feminine formMicaelaSpanish · feminine formMikaelaScandinavian · feminine formMikaylaEnglish · variantMakaylaEnglish · variantMikeEnglish · short formMickeyEnglish · short formMitchellEnglish · surname formMitchelEnglish · variant

Ways to honor Michael →

How popular is Michel around the world?

In the United States, 210 babies were named Michel between 2020 and 2025. In Mexico City, there were 98 registrations of Michel in 2022.

Michel is on the official records of the United States, Mexico City, Brazil, Montevideo, Argentina, France, Chile, Spain, Austria, Canada and Poland.

United States

1 in 100,000

In the United States, 210 babies were named Michel between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 1950s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Michel peaked in the 1950s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Mexico City City

1 in 1,200

In Mexico City, there were 98 registrations of Michel in 2022.

peak 20022022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (3 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Brazil

1 in 2,600

At the 2022 census, 78,654 people in Brazil were named Michel, the 392nd most common name, with a median age of 30.
Among people named Michel living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.

1930speak 1980s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 1,779 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Montevideo City

1 in 4,100 · 2011

In Montevideo, 6 boys named Michel were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

1940peak 1994

share of that year’s births on record

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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Argentina

1 in 11,000

In Argentina, 62 newborns were given the name Michel in 2024.

peak 20122024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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France

1 in 11,000

In France, about 60 boys named Michel were born in 2025, the 700th most common name among boys that year.

1900peak 19462025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Chile

1 in 12,000

In Chile, 12 boys were registered as Michel in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
In Chile, 3 girls were registered as Michel in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 19932021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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Spain

1 in 24,000

In Spain, 1,772 residents are named Michel, the 878th most common name among men, with a mean age of 40.1 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Austria

1 in 25,000

In Austria, 3 boys named Michel were born in 2025, the 981st most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.

peak 19862025

share of that year’s births on record

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Canada

1 in 30,000

In Canada, 12 boys named Michel were born in 2024, ranked 1,698th among boys that year.

peak 19912024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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Poland

1 in 82,000

In Poland, 3 girls named Michel were born in 2025, the 583rd most common name among girls that year.

peak 20002025

share of that year’s name registrations

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

See the full list for Poland →

England and Wales

last on record 2024

Michel is not on the 2025 record for England and Wales, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

See the full list for England and Wales →

Ireland

last on record 1983

Michel is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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South Australia

last on record 2006

Michel is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

See the full list for South Australia →

Not on the record in Puerto Rico, New Zealand and Scotland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.

Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Michel

People given the name Michel in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1999. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Michel

Joaquin Gabriella Adam Noemi Eliana Jesus

Keep exploring

Gender-neutral names

The Michel deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Michel truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Michel fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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