Michael (given name)

{{About|| a list of people with the given name|List of people with given name Michael||Michael (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox given name

| name = Michael

| image= File:GuidoReni MichaelDefeatsSatan.jpg

| imagesize=

| pronunciation= {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|aɪ|k|əl}}
{{IPA|de|ˈmɪçaːʔeːl, -ʔɛl|lang}}

| gender = Male

| meaning = "Who is like God?", "there is none like God", or "there is none as famous and powerful as God"Campbell, Michael [http://www.behindthename.com/name/michael Behind the Name: The Etymology and History of First Names]

| region =

| origin = {{langx|he|מִיכָאֵל}} / {{Script/Hebrew|מיכאל}} (Mikha'el)

| nickname = Mic, Mich, Micha, Mick, Mickey, Micki, Mickie, Mike, Mikey, Miki, Mikki, Mico, Miko, Mikha, Misha, Mischa, Mitch, Mitt, Micci

| related names =

Machiel, Maicon or Maycon, Maikel, Michaela, Michelangelo, Michal, Michał, Micheal, Mícheál, Michel, Michele, Michelle, Michiel, Miguel, Miguelita, Mihael, Miha, Mihai, Mihailo, Mykhailo, Mykhaylo , Mihajlo, Mihalis, Mikhalis, Mihály, Mihangel, Mihkel, Mihovil, Miika, Mika, Mikael, Mikail, Mikal, Mikel, Miķelis, Mikhail or Mihail (Михаил), Mihails, Maikls, Mikkel, Mikko, Mihály Mishael, Misho, Mitchell, Mykael, Michol, Michole

| footnotes =

}}

Michael is a common masculine given name derived from the Hebrew phrase {{Script/Hebrew|מי כאל}} mī kāʼēl, 'Who [is] like-El', in Aramaic: ܡܝܟܐܝܠ (Mīkhāʼēl {{IPA|he|miχaˈʔel|}}). The theophoric name is often read as a rhetorical question – "Who [is] like [the Hebrew God] El?", whose answer is "there is none like El", or "there is none as famous and powerful as God." This question is known in Latin as Quis ut Deus? Paradoxically, the name is also sometimes interpreted as, "One who is like God."Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae, [http://www.omniumsanctorumhiberniae.com/2015/09/michael-one-who-is-like-unto-god.html "Michael - one who is like unto God"] (This interpretation would be seen as heretical in some religions, but it is fairly common nonetheless.)

An alternative spelling of the name is Micheal. While Michael is most often a masculine name, it is also given to women, such as the actresses Michael Michele and Michael Learned, and Michael Steele, the former bassist for the Bangles.

Patronymic surnames that come from Michael include Carmichael, DiMichele, MacMichael, McMichael, Michaels, Micallef, Michaelson, Michiels, Michalka, Michels, Miguélez, Mihály, Mikeladze, Mikhaylov, Mikkelsen, Mitchell, Michalski, Mykhaylenko and Mikaelyan.

Religion

= Judaism =

The name first appears in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Numbers {{sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Numbers|chapter=13|verse=13|nobook=}}, where Sethur the son of Michael is one of 12 spies sent into the Land of Canaan.

Michael is the name of an archangel in the Book of Daniel {{sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Daniel|chapter=12|verse=1|nobook=}}.

= Christianity =

The archangel Michael is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. For the Roman Catholic Church, 29 September is the feast day of the three archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. For the Orthodox Church, 8 November is the feast day commemorating the archangels Michael and Gabriel, as well as the whole host of angels, while the Monday of each liturgical week likewise corresponds to the "Bodiless Powers." In the Coptic Orthodox Church, his main feast days are 12 Hathor and 12 Paoni, with lesser feast days on the 12th day of each month of the Coptic calendar.

= Islam =

According to Islam, Michael (Mika'el) is an archangel who brings down rain to the earth by the decree of Allah. He was created from light{{Cite web|date=2015-12-24|title=Angels and their attributes|url=https://www.arabnews.com/islam-perspective/news/855376|access-date=2021-07-21|website=Arab News|language=en}} and the one entrusted with the sustenance of creatures, and is also one of the most prominent angels. As the Angel of Mercy, he asks Allah to forgive people’s sins.{{Cite web|title=Malaikah - Muslim beliefs - Edexcel - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - Edexcel|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z43pfcw/revision/3|access-date=2021-07-21|website=BBC Bitesize|language=en-GB}}

Popularity

Michael (and its variants) is one of the most common given names for men in the world. In the United States, Michael was the most popular name of the 20th century, ranking No. 1 from 1954 to 1998 (with the exception of 1960, when it was second to David). It was among the top three most popular names for each year since 1953, only falling out of the top five in 2011 for the first time since 1949.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/top5names.html |title=Top 5 Names In Each Of The Last 100 Years|publisher=United States Social Security Administration|access-date=10 March 2015 }} Michael is the only name to rank among the ten most popular across all four generations since Generation X.{{cite web |url=https://word.tips/most-popular-name-generation-map/

|title=Every U.S. State's Most Popular Name by Generation |publisher=Word Tips|access-date=29 November 2024 }}

In 2014, Michael was the 20th most popular name in Northern Ireland,{{cite web |url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/InteractiveMaps/Population/Baby%20Names/Baby_Names2014/babyname.html |title=Top 100 Baby Names in Northern Ireland, 2014|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency|access-date=10 March 2015 }} 27th in Canada{{cite web |url=http://www.todaysparent.com/top-100-baby-names-in-canada-2014/ |title=Top 100 Baby Names in Canada |publisher=Today's Parent |access-date=10 March 2015 |archive-date=25 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025235425/http://www.todaysparent.com/top-100-baby-names-in-canada-2014/ |url-status=dead }} and 42nd in Australia.{{cite web |url=http://www.mccrindle.com.au/resources/Baby-Names-Australia-2014_McCrindle.pdf |title=Baby Names Australia 2014 |publisher=McCrindle Market and Social Research |access-date=10 March 2015 |archive-date=3 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303071345/http://www.mccrindle.com.au/resources/Baby-Names-Australia-2014_McCrindle.pdf |url-status=dead }} In England and Wales, Michael ranked 53rd in 2011 and 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/interactive/top-100-baby-names-in-england-and-wales---dvc11/index.html |title=Top 100 names for baby boys in England and Wales|publisher=United Kingdom National Statistics|access-date=10 March 2015 }} Michael ranked as the eighth most popular name for boys in Ireland in 2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/ibn/irishbabiesnames2013/#.VP7NdWR4qeA|title=Irish Babies' Names|date=30 May 2014 |publisher=Central Statistics Office of Ireland|access-date=10 March 2015 }}

According to the SSA, Michael is the most popular name among people in the United States who are currently alive, belonging to an estimated 3.83 million living people as of 2021. {{cite web|url=https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=name+michael|title=Name Michael: Wolfram Alpha|publisher=Wolfram Alpha|date=January 1, 2021|access-date=12 September 2023|archive-date=10 February 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230210004240/https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=name+michael|url-status=bot: unknown}}

Variants of Michael rank among the most popular masculine names in multiple countries. It was the third most popular in Finland from 2010 – March 2015 (as Mikael),{{cite web |url=http://verkkopalvelu.vrk.fi/Nimipalvelu/default.asp?L=3|title=Most popular first names by decades|publisher=Population Register Centre of Finland|date=10 March 2009|access-date=10 March 2015 }} seventh in Russia in 2009 (as Mikhail),{{cite news|url=http://www.dni.ru/society/2009/2/9/159001.html |script-title=ru:Названа десятка самых популярных имен |trans-title=Ten Most Popular Baby Names |work=DNI |date=9 February 2009 |access-date=10 March 2015 |language=ru}} 14th in Spain in 2012 (as Miguel),{{cite web|url=http://www.ine.es/daco/daco42/nombyapel/nombres_mas_frecuentes.xls |title=Nombres más frecuentes (Hombres) |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística|date=1 January 2013 |access-date=10 March 2015 }} and 15th in Denmark (as Mikkel).{{cite web|url=http://www.dst.dk/pukora/epub/Nyt/2014/NR373.pdf |title=Sofia og William indtager igen førstepladsen|publisher=Statistics Denmark|date=11 July 2014 |access-date=10 March 2015 }}