How common is the surname Michel?

25,578 people in the United States had the surname Michel in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,071 Americans. It ranked 1,383rd of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Michel?

In the 2010 Census, 51% of people named Michel identified as white (not Hispanic), and 24% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named Michel?

Charles Michel, Belgian politician, former Prime Minister of Belgium, President of the European Council (b, followed by James Michel.

Where is the surname Michel most common?

Wikidata records people named Michel in Belgium, the United States and Seychelles and 2 other countries.

How do you pronounce Michel?

Michel is /mɪˈʃɛl/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Michel getting more or less common?

More common. 21,487 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 25,578 in 2010, up 19%.

Is Michel also a first name?

Yes. Michel is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Michel

A French surname, carried by 25,578 people in the United States.

Pronounced /mɪˈʃɛl/ 2 syllables Soundex M240 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Michel is more common than 99.1% of them.

Origin

French origin

Either a reborrowing of French Michel or a continuation (with pronunciation influenced by Modern French) of Middle English Michel, both from Old French Michel, from Latin Michāēl, borrowed from Koine Greek Μῐχᾱήλ (Mĭkhāḗl), from Biblical Hebrew מִיכָאֵל (mîḵāʾēl, literally “who is like God?”). Doublet of Michael, Miguel, and Mikhail.

One of 791 French surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 25,578 people named Michel in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 12,071 Americans. That is up 19% since 2000, when the Census counted 21,487.

#1,383

rank among US surnames

25,578

people in 2010

8.7

per 100,000 Americans

+19%

change since 2000 (was #1,539)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,374	Ocampo	25,720	12,004
#1,375	Aviles	25,716	12,006
#1,376	Nieto	25,701	12,013
#1,377	Ervin	25,698	12,014
#1,378	Gore	25,648	12,038
#1,379	Shafer	25,641	12,041
#1,380	Weston	25,637	12,043

Who is named Michel

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

51% of people named Michel identified as white (not Hispanic), 24% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).

White (not Hispanic) 51%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 24%
Black (not Hispanic) 23%
Two or more races 1.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Michels

10 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Charles Michel
Belgian politician, former Prime Minister of Belgium, President of the European Council (b, born 1975
James Michel
3rd President of Seychelles, born 1944
Louis Michel
Belgian politician, born 1947
Curt Michel
American astronaut, 1934–2015
Robert H. Michel
American politician (1923–2017)
Claire Michel
Belgian triathlete, born 1988
Joseph Michel
Belgian writer and politician of the Parti Social Chrétien (PSC (1925-2016)
Ciara Michel
British/American volleyball player, born 1985
Benji Michel
American soccer player, born 1997
Anne Michel
Belgian athletics competitor, 1959–2023

Notable Michels come mostly from Belgium (5), the United States (2) and Seychelles (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Michel

Michel has the Soundex code M240, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M240.

Other French surnames

All 791 French surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Michel come from?: Either a reborrowing of French Michel or a continuation (with pronunciation influenced by Modern French) of Middle English Michel, both from Old French Michel, from Latin Michāēl, borrowed from Koine Greek Μῐχᾱήλ (Mĭkhāḗl), from Biblical Hebrew מִיכָאֵל (mîḵāʾēl, literally “who is like God?”).…
How common is the surname Michel?: 25,578 people in the United States had the surname Michel in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 12,071 Americans. It ranked 1,383rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Michel?: In the 2010 Census, 51% of people named Michel identified as white (not Hispanic), and 24% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named Michel?: Charles Michel, Belgian politician, former Prime Minister of Belgium, President of the European Council (b, followed by James Michel.
Where is the surname Michel most common?: Wikidata records people named Michel in Belgium, the United States and Seychelles and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce Michel?: Michel is /mɪˈʃɛl/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Michel getting more or less common?: More common. 21,487 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 25,578 in 2010, up 19%.
Is Michel also a first name?: Yes. Michel is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.