Given name & surname
Mikhail
“who is like God?”
Mikhail is a variant of Michael. One Hebrew interpretation is “who is like God?.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Mikhail is a variant of Michael. One Hebrew interpretation is “who is like God?.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Mikhail is a variant of Michael. An origin associated with Michael is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Cebuano usage, Mikhail developed from מיכאל.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1968. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mikhail through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,158
- 4,134 boys · 24 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 143 babies
- 2025
- 84
- #1,884 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 84 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,884 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 143 in 2015. In 2025, California and Florida shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 12,398 as a first name in 2020; 2,902 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.
Mikhail’s family of names
Mikhail has an affectionate form in Misha. Mikhail shares a linguistic root with Michael. Mikhail has a related form in Michael.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
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 37
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Migueldoublet · English
- Mikaelequivalent
- Mikaequivalent
- Mikkoequivalent
- Michalequivalent
- Mikailequivalent
- Mikhaelequivalent
- Micheldoublet · English
Show 29 moreShow fewer
- Micheleequivalent
- Mykhailoequivalent
- Mitchelequivalent
- Mihailequivalent
- Mihaiequivalent
- Mayconequivalent
- Mihaelequivalent
- Michailequivalent
- Mykolasequivalent
- Miquelequivalent
- Michielequivalent
- Mihailsequivalent
- Μιχαήλequivalent
- Mikaeloequivalent
- Mihangelequivalent
- Mihkelequivalent
- Michałequivalent
- Միքայելequivalent
- Михайлоequivalent
- Michaiłequivalent
- Міхаілequivalent
- Michasequivalent
- Mickaëlequivalent
- Michaëlequivalent
- Mihályequivalent
- Mihhailequivalent
- Михаилequivalent
- Mixailequivalent
- מיכאלroot · Hebrew
People named Mikhail
- Mikhail Gorbachevleader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 (1931–2022)
- Mikhail BakuninRussian revolutionary anarchist and philosopher (1814–1876)
- Mikhail LermontovRussian writer, poet and painter (1814–1841)
- Mikhail BulgakovRussian author (1891–1940)
- Mikhail SholokhovSoviet writer (1905-1984)
- Mikhail LomonosovRussian polymath (1711-1765)
- Mikhail KalashnikovSoviet and Russian small arms designer (1919–2013)
- Mikhail MishustinRussian politician; Prime Minister of the Russian Federationborn 1966
- Mikhail BotvinnikSoviet chess player1911–1995
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Mikhail, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.