How common is the surname Mitchell?

384,486 people in the United States had the surname Mitchell in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 803 Americans. It ranked 48th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Mitchell?

Margaret Mitchell, American author and journalist (1900–1949), followed by Peter D. Mitchell.

The surnameMitchell

An English patronymic surname, the 48th most common in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈmɪt͡ʃəl/ 2 syllables Soundex M324 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). Mitchell is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

English origin

From a Middle English vernacular form of the Old French given name Michel (“Michael”), or in some cases from a Middle English nickname muchel (“big”).

Mitchell is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 384,486 people named Mitchell in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 803 Americans. That is up 4.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 367,433.

#48

rank among US surnames

384,486

people in 2010

130

per 100,000 Americans

+4.6%

change since 2000 (was #44)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#39	Hill	434,827	710
#40	Flores	433,969	711
#41	Green	430,182	718
#42	Adams	427,865	722
#43	Nelson	424,958	727
#44	Baker	419,586	736
#45	Hall	407,076	758

Who is named Mitchell

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

61% of people named Mitchell identified as white (not Hispanic), 33% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 61%
Black (not Hispanic) 33%
Two or more races 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Mitchells

141 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Margaret Mitchell
American author and journalist (1900–1949)
Peter D. Mitchell
British biochemist (1920-1992)
Elizabeth Mitchell
American actress, born 1970
Maria Mitchell
American astronomer, 1818–1889
Edgar Mitchell
American astronaut (1930-2016)
Thomas Mitchell
American actor, playwright and screenwriter (1892-1962)
Maia Mitchell
Australian actress (born 1993)
Luke Mitchell
Australian actor, born 1985
George J. Mitchell
American politician, diplomat, and judge (born 1933)
Silas Weir Mitchell
American actor, born 1970
Beverley Mitchell
American actress, born 1981
Yvonne Mitchell
British actress (1915–1979)

Notable Mitchells come mostly from the United States (112), Australia (18) and the United Kingdom (8).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Mitchell

Mitchell has the Soundex code M324, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M324.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Mitchell come from?: From a Middle English vernacular form of the Old French given name Michel (“Michael”), or in some cases from a Middle English nickname muchel (“big”).
How common is the surname Mitchell?: 384,486 people in the United States had the surname Mitchell in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 803 Americans. It ranked 48th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Mitchell?: In the 2010 Census, 61% of people named Mitchell identified as white (not Hispanic), and 33% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Mitchell?: Margaret Mitchell, American author and journalist (1900–1949), followed by Peter D. Mitchell.