Mikhail
Michael is a common masculine given name usually thought to be from the Hebrew rhetorical question מי כאל, "Who [is] like [the Hebrew god] El?", thus being a theophoric name 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."
Meaning & Origin of Mikhail
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Michael is a common masculine given name usually thought to be from the Hebrew rhetorical question מי כאל, "Who [is] like [the Hebrew god] El?", thus being a theophoric name 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."
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Mikhail
Mikhail first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1968, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 143 Mikhails were born — ranking #1,259 that year. As of 2026, Mikhail ranks #2,046 for baby boys with 75 births, falling sharply (-27%). In total, more than 4K Mikhails have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Mikhail
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- List of people with given name Michael
- List of people with given name Mikhail
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Mikhail
Phonetically similar names — useful when Mikhail is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mikhail
What does the name Mikhail mean?
How popular is Mikhail in 2026?
When was Mikhail most popular?
In which U.S. states is Mikhail most popular?
Is Mikhail a unisex name?
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About the name Mikhail
Mikhail is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1968 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Mikhail's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #949. Use the chart and map above to compare Mikhail's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2015 →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.