Given name & surname
Mihai
“who is like God?”
Mihai is a form of Michael. One Hebrew interpretation is “who is like God?.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Mihai is a form of Michael. One Hebrew interpretation is “who is like God?.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Mihai is a form of Michael. An origin associated with Michael is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Romanian usage, Mihai developed from Μιχαήλ. In Romanian usage, Mihai developed from Михаилъ.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2001. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mihai through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 71
- 71 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2008
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #11,541 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 11,541 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 8 in 2008. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,561 as a first name in 2020; 398 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.
Mihai’s family of names
In Romanian usage, Mihai has a diminutive in MIHNEA. Mihai shares a linguistic root with Michael. In Romanian usage, Mihai has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Michele.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Mihai has relatives in 10 languages.
12 related names in 10 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 32
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Michaelcognate · English, German
- MiguelSpanish
- Mikaelequivalent
- Mikaequivalent
- Mikhailequivalent
- Mikkoequivalent
- Michalequivalent
- Mikailequivalent
Show 24 moreShow fewer
- MichelFrench
- MicheleItalian
- Mykhailoequivalent
- Mitchelequivalent
- Mayconequivalent
- Michailequivalent
- Miquelequivalent
- Michielequivalent
- Mihaelequivalent
- Mihangelequivalent
- Mikhaïlequivalent
- Mihkelequivalent
- Михайлоequivalent
- Michaiłequivalent
- Міхаілequivalent
- Michasequivalent
- Μιχαήλroot · Greek, Ancient Greek
- MichałPolish
- MichaëlFrench
- Mickaëlequivalent
- Mihályequivalent
- Михаилequivalent
- Mikaeloequivalent
- Михаилъroot · cu
People named Mihai
- Mihai EminescuRomanian poet, novelist and journalist (1850-1889)
- Michael I of Romanialast king of Romania (r. 1927–1930, 1940–1947)1921–2017
- Michael the BraveRomanian prince and voivode of Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia (1558–1601)
- Mihai GhimpuMoldovan politicianborn 1951
- Michael CretuRomanian–German musician, singer, songwriter, and producerborn 1957
- Mihai Tudose66th Prime Minister of Romania (2017-2018)born 1967
- Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu62nd Prime Minister of Romania (2012)born 1968
- Mihai PintiliiRomanian association football playerborn 1984
- Mihai TrăistariuRomanian singerborn 1976
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mihai, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.