Mikhai
A masculine name with Biblical roots and Greek, Hebrew, and Russian variations.
Name Census estimates that about 151 living Americans carry the first name Mikhai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mikhai today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mikhai births was 2012 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mikhai. 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
151
~ 1 in 2,269,896 Americans
Peak year
2012
13 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2022 SSA rank
#10,501
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Mikhai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mikhai from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 81 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mikhai 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 Mikhai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mikhai
The name Mikhai has its origins in the Russian language and culture, with roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is a masculine given name derived from the Hebrew name "Michael," which means "who is like God" or "gift from God." The name was popularized in Russia through the influence of the Orthodox Christian faith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mikhai can be found in the Russian Primary Chronicle, a historical text dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions Mikhai Vsevolodovich, a prince of the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, who lived from around 1179 to 1212. Another notable figure was Mikhai Illarionovich Kutuzov, a Russian field marshal who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars, leading the Russian forces to victory against the French in the Battle of Borodino in 1812.
During the Russian Empire, the name Mikhai was particularly popular among the nobility and upper classes. One prominent bearer was Mikhai Nikolayevich Muravyov, a statesman and military figure who lived from 1796 to 1866. He is remembered for his role in the conquest of the Amur region, which expanded the Russian Empire's territory in the Far East.
In the realm of literature, Mikhai Sholokhov, a Soviet novelist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1965, was born in 1905 and is renowned for his epic novel "And Quiet Flows the Don." Another notable figure was Mikhai Lermontov, a Russian Romantic writer and poet who lived from 1814 to 1841, best known for his novel "A Hero of Our Time."
In the field of science, Mikhai Lomonosov, a polymath and writer who lived from 1711 to 1765, made significant contributions to various disciplines, including chemistry, physics, astronomy, and literature. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Russian culture and is often referred to as the "Father of Russian Science."
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Mikhai, reflecting its enduring presence and significance in Russian culture and society over the centuries.
People
Mikhai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mikhai 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
Mikhai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mikhai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 151 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mikhai 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 2,269,896 US residents.
Is Mikhai a common name?
We classify Mikhai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 152 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mikhai most popular?
The single biggest year for Mikhai was 2012, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mikhai is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Mikhai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mikhai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mikhai in the SSA data are male. 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 Mikhai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mikhai 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 Mikhai 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Mikhai as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Mikhai, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.