2000
#798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,369
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.59
Uncommon Last name
Michael
A Biblical surname derived from the Hebrew name Mikha'el, meaning "Who is like God?"
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,300 Americans carry the last name Michael. That puts it at #909 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,916 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Michael 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 Michael with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
43K
1 in 7,916
Census rank
#909
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,760 bearers of the surname Michael in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 909th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Michael, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Michael
The surname Michael is an English, Scottish, and German surname derived from the Hebrew personal name Michael, which means "who is like God?". This name was borne by one of the archangels in the Bible. The name first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, brought over by Norman settlers.
In England, the earliest recorded bearer of the surname was Radulfus filius Michael, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176. The name also appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, with the spelling Michel. Some early variations of the spelling included Michell, Mitchel, and Mitchell.
In Scotland, the surname Michael can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded bearers was Michael de Mernyn, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls for King Edward I of England.
The surname Michael can also be found in Germany, where it originated as a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Michael. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the town of Lübeck in 1292, where a man named Heinricus Michael was mentioned in the town records.
Some notable historical figures with the surname Michael include:
1. Sir John Michael (c. 1508 - 1551), an English politician and Member of Parliament.
2. Johann Michael (1572 - 1619), a German composer and organist.
3. Francis Michael (1750 - 1828), an English writer and philosopher.
4. John Michael (1804 - 1886), an English clergyman and author.
5. William Michael (1846 - 1920), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 27th Governor of South Carolina.
The surname Michael has also been associated with various place names, such as Michael's Church in Hertfordshire, England, and the village of Michaelston-le-Pit in Monmouthshire, Wales.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michael
Among Census respondents with the surname Michael, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Michael 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 Michael surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 29,895
- Black or African American10.1% · 3,813
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,371
- Two or more races3.5% · 1,319
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 1,094
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 268
Timeline
Historical Census data for Michael
Michael 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
#847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,736
+1,367 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 13.81
Rank movement Down 49 places
2020
#909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,760
-2,976 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 12.63
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #798 | 39,369 | 14.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #847 | 40,736 | 13.81 | +1,367 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 49 places |
| 2020 | #909 | 37,760 | 12.63 | -2,976 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 62 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 Michael 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 | #847 | #909 | -7.3% |
| Count | 40,736 | 37,760 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 13.81 | 12.63 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Michael bearers went from 40,736 to 37,760 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #847 to #909.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Michael
FAQ
Michael surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Michael?
Name Census estimates that about 43,300 living Americans carry the surname Michael. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,916 residents.
How common is Michael?
Michael ranks #909 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,760 people with the surname Michael. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Michael.
Has Michael become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Michael went from 40,736 recorded bearers to 37,760. That is a decrease of 2,976 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #847 to #909.
What does the Census say about the background of Michael?
Among Census respondents with the surname Michael, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Michael in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (29,895 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Michael appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Black (10.1%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Michael (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 Michael mean?
A Biblical surname derived from the Hebrew name Mikha'el, meaning "Who is like God?" 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 Michael (12.63 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 are called Michael?
See how many people have the last name Michael on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.