# Michelle (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/michelle/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “michael”, “who is like god?” |
| Pronunciation | /mɪˈʃɛl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Mich, Miki |
| Variant spellings | Michele, Shelley, Mish |
| US babies named this | 819,760 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 3,250 / 816,510 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 4,890, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from French Michelle, feminine form of French Michel (“Michael”), Hebrew מִיכָאֵל (mikhaél, “who is like God?”). Doublet of Michaela.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,180 | 144 |
| 2012 | 1,935 | 162 |
| 2013 | 1,892 | 168 |
| 2014 | 1,751 | 188 |
| 2015 | 1,706 | 192 |
| 2016 | 1,562 | 209 |
| 2017 | 1,429 | 217 |
| 2018 | 1,249 | 263 |
| 2019 | 1,144 | 292 |
| 2020 | 923 | 336 |
| 2021 | 799 | 395 |
| 2022 | 827 | 377 |
| 2023 | 766 | 401 |
| 2024 | 775 | 409 |
| 2025 | 661 | 465 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 20 | 3,547 |
| 1998 | 17 | 4,131 |
| 1999 | 15 | 4,692 |
| 2000 | 24 | 3,495 |
| 2001 | 19 | 4,234 |
| 2002 | 17 | 4,638 |
| 2003 | 15 | 5,189 |
| 2004 | 16 | 5,175 |
| 2005 | 11 | 6,952 |
| 2006 | 11 | 7,264 |
| 2007 | 8 | 9,458 |
| 2008 | 11 | 7,547 |
| 2009 | 6 | 11,968 |
| 2010 | 9 | 8,569 |
| 2011 | 10 | 7,895 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 227 | 222 |
| 2012 | 211 | 236 |
| 2013 | 191 | 251 |
| 2014 | 165 | 289 |
| 2015 | 159 | 300 |
| 2016 | 136 | 352 |
| 2017 | 117 | 386 |
| 2018 | 130 | 358 |
| 2019 | 86 | 480 |
| 2020 | 110 | 393 |
| 2021 | 89 | 476 |
| 2022 | 101 | 419 |
| 2023 | 132 | 332 |
| 2024 | 121 | 360 |
| 2025 | 124 | 346 |

## People named Michelle

- Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress (born 1958)
- Michelle Rodriguez, American actress
- Michelle Williams, American actress (born 1980)
- Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress (born 1977)
- Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress (1985–2025)
- Michelle Monaghan, American actress (born 1976)
- Michelle Kwan, American figure skater and diplomat
- Michelle Branch, American singer, songwriter and musician
- Michelle Akers, American soccer player (born 1966)
- Michelle Phillips, American singer and actress
- Michelle Dockery, British actress
- Michelle Creber, Canadian actress

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.