Given name & surname

Carmichael

“a follower of Michael”

Carmichael is used as a given name and a surname. One Scottish interpretation is “a follower of Michael.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

One Scottish interpretation is “a follower of Michael.”

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is Scottish.

How it developed

From Cumbric *cayr.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1953. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Carmichael through the years

Babies since 1880
248
248 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
2012
13 babies
2025
8
#9,058 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−22%
Easing
024681960198020002025Highest share 20124.7
Carmichael in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1953–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,058 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 13 in 2012. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 308 as a first name in 2020; 18,958 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Carmichael’s family of names

In English usage, Carmichael as a surname has an alternative spelling in CARMICAL. In English usage, Carmichael as a surname has an alternative spelling in CARMICHEAL.

Walk Carmichael’s family in the name graph

CarmichaelCarmichealCarmical

The ring: spellings.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Spellings & scripts 2

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Similar names

If you love Carmichael, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Scottish · Modern

Calder

“of the rough waters or stream”

39RareEasing

99% boys · 1% girls

Gaelic

Camden

“from the winding valley”

72CommonEasing

95% boys · 5% girls

Scottish · Modern

Leathan

“of the river”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Scottish · Modern

Dalziel

“from the little field”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Scottish · Modern

Hamish

“he who supplants”

19Very rareRising

>99% boys

Scottish · Modern

Connery

“a daring man”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Scottish · Modern

Kendrew

“a warrior”

14Very rare

>99% boys

Gaelic · Royal

Kendrick

“a royal ruler” · “the champion”

59FamiliarEasing

99% boys · 1% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Carmichael’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Carmichael

A sister for Carmichael