Given name & surname
Miguel
“who is like God?”
Miguel is a form of Michael. One Hebrew interpretation is “who is like God?.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Miguel is a form of Michael. One Hebrew interpretation is “who is like God?.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Miguel is a form of Michael. An origin associated with Michael is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Cebuano usage, Miguel developed from Μιχαήλ.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Miguel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 191,562
- 190,566 boys · 996 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 4,914 babies
- 2025
- 1,661
- #212 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,661 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 212 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 4,906 in 2007. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (352). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 296,001 as a first name in 2020; 11,122 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.
Miguel’s family of names
In Spanish usage, Miguel has a diminutive in MIGUE. Miguel shares a linguistic root with Michael. In Galician usage, Miguel has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Michele.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Miguel has relatives in 46 languages.
55 related names in 46 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 62
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- MikaelSwedish, Norwegian Bokmål
- MikeEnglish
- MikaFinnish
- MikelBasque
- Mikhaildoublet · English
- MikkoFinnish
- MikailTurkish
- MichalSlovak, Czech
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Micheldoublet · French, Portuguese
- MicheleItalian
- Maicoldoublet · Portuguese
- Mykhailoequivalent
- Mitchelequivalent
- MihailoSerbo-Croatian
- Micaeldoublet · Portuguese
- MihaiRomanian
- Mayconequivalent
- MigelLadino
- Michailequivalent
- Maicondoublet · Portuguese
- Miquelcognate · Catalan
- Mihaelequivalent
- MichielDutch
- MykolasLithuanian
- Mihangelequivalent
- Mikhaïlequivalent
- Mikkeliequivalent
- Mihkelequivalent
- Michaiłequivalent
- Міхаілequivalent
- Michasequivalent
- МайклRussian
- मिंगेलborrowing · kok
- Μιχαήλroot · Greek, Ancient Greek
- MichałPolish
- MichaëlFrench, Dutch
- Mitchîcognate · Walloon
- Mickaëlequivalent
- Mikaeloequivalent
- MikhoylYiddish
- МихайлоUkrainian
- МихаилRussian, Macedonian
- MiķelisLatvian
- マイクルJapanese
- マイケルJapanese
- MikjállIcelandic
- MihályHungarian
- מיכאלHebrew
- ΜιχάληςGreek
- მიხეილიGeorgian
- MiikaelEstonian
- MiĥaeloEsperanto
- MikeloEsperanto
- MíchaelSlovene
- 마이클Korean
- 米高Chinese
- МихајлоSerbo-Croatian
- MihovilSerbo-Croatian
- ՄիքայելArmenian
- مِيخَائِيلArabic
And 2 more.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Miguel
- Miguel de CervantesSpanish novelist, poet, and playwright (1547-1616)
- Miguel Ángel AsturiasGuatemalan writer and diplomat (1899–1974)
- Sebastián PiñeraChilean entrepreneur and politician (1949–2024)
- Miguel de UnamunoSpanish poet (1864-1936)
- Miguel Díaz-CanelFirst Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and top leader of Cuba since 2021born 1960
- Michael ServetusSpanish physician and theologian1511–1553
- Miguel InduráinSpanish cyclistborn 1964
- Miguel Hidalgo y CostillaCatholic priest, leader of the Mexican War of Independence1753–1811
- Miguel FerrerAmerican actor (1955–2017)
Characters named Miguel: Miguel Caballero Rojo (Tekken).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Miguel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Manuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Misael
“who is what God is?”
>99% boys
Emmanuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Israel
“he who strives with God” · “God perseveres”
96% boys · 4% girls
Emanuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Maxwell
“from Mack's spring”
98% boys · 2% girls
Rafael
“one who is healed by God”
>99% boys
Marco
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
>99% boys