Michell
Feminine variant of the masculine name Michael of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
Name Census estimates that about 6,802 living Americans carry the first name Michell. It is a predominantly female name (92.2% of registrations). The average person named Michell today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Michell births was 1971 (296 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Michell. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
6.8K
~ 1 in 50,390 Americans
Peak year
1971
296 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2010 SSA rank
#8,568
Tracked since 1926
Census
Michell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,204 people with the first name Michell, which placed it at #3,069 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,069
National first-name rank
People counted
7.2K
7,204 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
47.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Michell is White at 47.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.1%) and Black (15.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Michell 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Michell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.0% · 3,384
- Hispanic or Latino29.1% · 2,096
- Black or African American15.1% · 1,090
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 322
- Two or more races3.0% · 219
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 93
Gender
Gender distribution for Michell
Michell leans heavily female at 92.2% of total registrations, but 588 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Michell as a male name
- Ranked #8,568 in 2010
- 9 male births in 2010
- Peak: 1970 (20 births)
Michell as a female name
- Ranked #9,986 in 2024
- 10 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1971 (290 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Michell leans strongly female. 6,523 people counted with this name were female (90.5%), compared with 682 male bearers (9.5%).
Popularity
Michell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Michell from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 2,290 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Michell by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Michell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Michells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 34 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Michell, while Iowa, Oregon, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 129 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Michell
The given name Michell is believed to have its origins in the Hebrew name Michael, which means "who is like God?" or "one who is like God." The name Michael was derived from the Hebrew words "mi" meaning "who" and "el" meaning "God." This name can be traced back to ancient biblical times and is mentioned in various religious texts, including the Bible and the Quran.
In the Bible, Michael is an archangel and is considered one of the principal angels in Christianity. He is often depicted as the leader of the heavenly armies and is revered as a protector and a warrior. The name Michael gained popularity in various cultures and regions, leading to different variations and spellings, including Michell.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Michell dates back to the Middle Ages. During this period, the name was commonly used in various European countries, particularly in England and France. It was often associated with individuals of noble or prestigious backgrounds.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the first name Michell. One of the most famous was Michell de Verteuil (1233-1299), a French nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Seventh Crusade. Another prominent figure was Michell Le Bel (1292-1357), a French writer and historian who chronicled the events of his time.
In the field of science, Michell Rolle (1652-1719) was a French mathematician and theologian known for his contributions to the development of calculus and the invention of the Rolle's Theorem. Michell Lomonosov (1711-1765) was a Russian polymath who made significant contributions to various fields, including physics, chemistry, and astronomy.
In the realm of arts and literature, Michell de Montaigne (1533-1592) was a renowned French Renaissance philosopher and essayist, best known for his influential work "Essays." Michell Cervantes (1547-1616), a Spanish novelist and playwright, is celebrated as the author of the iconic novel "Don Quixote."
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the first name Michell, reflecting its diverse cultural and historical significance across various regions and time periods.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Michell
People
Michell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Michell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Michell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Michell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,802 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Michell going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 50,390 US residents.
Is Michell a common name?
We classify Michell as "Rare". It ranks above 97.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,576 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Michell most popular?
The single biggest year for Michell was 1971, when 296 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Michell is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Michell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,204 people with the name Michell, or 2.39 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,069 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Michell in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Michell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Michell leans strongly female. 6,523 people counted with this name were female (90.5%), compared with 682 male bearers (9.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Michell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Michell is White at 47.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.1%) and Black (15.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Michell most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Michell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.0% (3,384 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Michell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Michell a female name?
Yes, 92.2% of people registered as Michell in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Michell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Michell in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Michell can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Michell as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.