Given name & surname
Mikel
“who is like God?”
Mikel is a variant of Michael. One Hebrew interpretation is “who is like God?.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Mikel is a variant of Michael. One Hebrew interpretation is “who is like God?.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Mikel is a variant of Michael. An origin associated with Michael is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mikel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 12,554
- 11,559 boys · 995 girls
- Most popular year
- 1989
- 224 babies
- 2025
- 81
- #1,930 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −26%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 99% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 81 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,930 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 25.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 201 in 2004. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,644 as a first name in 2020; 2,533 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.
Mikel’s family of names
Mikel shares a linguistic root with Michael. In Basque usage, Mikel has a conventional equivalent in the French form Michel. Mikel has a related form in Michael.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Mikel has relatives in 6 languages.
4 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 1
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 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mikel
- Mikel ArtetaSpanish football managerborn 1982
- Mikel MerinoSpanish footballer (born 1996)
- Mikel OyarzabalSpanish footballer (born 1997)
- Mikel San JoséSpanish association football playerborn 1989
- Mikel AlonsoSpanish footballerborn 1980
- Mikel BalenziagaSpanish footballerborn 1988
- Mikel LandaSpanish road cyclistborn 1989
- Mikel RicoSpanish footballerborn 1984
- Mikel GonzálezSpanish footballerborn 1985
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Mikel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Marcell
“the little warrior”
>99% boys
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Tyrell
“one who is stubborn” · “a powerful man”
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Terrell
“one who is stubborn” · “a powerful man”
>99% boys
Darell
>99% boys
Nigel
“the champion”
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“a lord of the borderlands; a nobleman”
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Malcom
Malcom is a surname.
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