Given name
Mikal
Mikal is a masculine given name. It is used in Faroese and Norwegian.
Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Mikal isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1943. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mikal through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,925
- 3,334 boys · 591 girls
- Most popular year
- 1993
- 180 babies
- 2025
- 31
- #3,630 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −27%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 90% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 31 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,630 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 12.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 158 in 1993. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,195 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mikal’s family of names
In Faroese usage, Mikal has a conventional equivalent in the English form Michael. In Faroese usage, Mikal has a conventional equivalent in the French form Michel. In Norwegian usage, Mikal has a related form in Mikael.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Mikal has relatives in 5 languages.
4 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mikal
- Mikal BridgesAmerican basketball player (born 1996)
- Mikal KirkholtNorwegian cross-country skier1920–2012
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mikal, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Mikel
“who is like God?”
99% boys · 1% girls
Mitchell
“who is like God?”
>99% boys
Malcom
Malcom is a surname.
>99% boys
Jamal
“a handsome man”
>99% boys
Markus
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
>99% boys
Marquis
“a lord of the borderlands; a nobleman”
>99% boys
Tyrell
“one who is stubborn” · “a powerful man”
>99% boys
Mathew
“gift of God” · “a gift from God”
>99% boys