2000
#1,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,696
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.19
Uncommon Last name
Michaels
Derived from the given name Michael, meaning "Who is like God?" in Hebrew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,791 Americans carry the last name Michaels. That puts it at #2,158 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,240 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Michaels 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 Michaels with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,240
Census rank
#2,158
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,387 bearers of the surname Michaels in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2158th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Michaels, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Michaels
Michaels is an English patronymic surname derived from the popular medieval given name Michael, which itself originates from the Hebrew name Mikhael, meaning "who is like God?". The surname Michaels emerged in England during the late medieval period as a way to identify individuals by their father's given name.
The earliest known record of the surname Michaels dates back to the late 13th century, with a mention of a William Michaels in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1285. In the following centuries, the name appeared in various historical records across England, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, where a John Michaels was listed.
One notable early bearer of the Michaels surname was Sir John Michaels (c. 1400-1468), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Wiltshire during the reign of King Henry VI. Another historical figure was William Michaels (c. 1510-1572), a English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Michaels also appeared in various spellings, such as Michaell, Michell, and Michels, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling at the time. An example of this variation can be found in the records of the Hertfordshire Visitation of 1634, which mentions a Thomas Michell of Buntingford.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the Michaels surname in North America was Richard Michaels, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635. Another early bearer was John Michaels, who settled in Maryland in 1675.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Michaels, including:
1. Joannes Michaels (c. 1570-1649), a Dutch engraver and printmaker known for his etchings and engravings of religious subjects.
2. Sir Henry Michaels (1675-1744), an English politician and Member of Parliament for East Grinstead from 1722 to 1744.
3. John Michaels (1789-1857), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Mercantile Library of Philadelphia.
4. Wilhelmina Michaels (1861-1928), a German-American artist and illustrator known for her work in children's literature.
5. Lewis Michaels (1919-2003), an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader who performed with notable musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michaels
Among Census respondents with the surname Michaels, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Michaels 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 Michaels surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 14,520
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 585
- Two or more races3.2% · 527
- Black or African American3.1% · 508
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 199
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Michaels
Michaels 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
#2,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,528
+832 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 5.94
Rank movement Down 63 places
2020
#2,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,387
-1,141 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 5.48
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,994 | 16,696 | 6.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,057 | 17,528 | 5.94 | +832 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 63 places |
| 2020 | #2,158 | 16,387 | 5.48 | -1,141 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 101 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 Michaels 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 | #2,057 | #2,158 | -4.9% |
| Count | 17,528 | 16,387 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.94 | 5.48 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Michaels bearers went from 17,528 to 16,387 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,057 to #2,158.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Michaels
FAQ
Michaels surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Michaels?
Name Census estimates that about 18,791 living Americans carry the surname Michaels. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,240 residents.
How common is Michaels?
Michaels ranks #2,158 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,387 people with the surname Michaels. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,791), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Michaels.
Has Michaels become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Michaels went from 17,528 recorded bearers to 16,387. That is a decrease of 1,141 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,057 to #2,158.
What does the Census say about the background of Michaels?
Among Census respondents with the surname Michaels, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Michaels in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (14,520 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Michaels appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Michaels (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 Michaels mean?
Derived from the given name Michael, meaning "Who is like God?" in Hebrew. 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 Michaels (5.48 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 Americans have the surname Michaels?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.