Michelle

Did you know?

A few things about Michelle you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Michelle

Michelle Pfeiffer

American actress (born 1958)

Choose Michelle and your child shares a first name with Michelle Pfeiffer, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Michelle, like who?” Michelle Pfeiffer's Wikipedia article is available in 101 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Michelle Pfeiffer on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Jeremiah Christopher, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,431 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Michelle, 661 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Michelle would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryMichelle first shows up in US birth records in 1915, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 110 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1972, when it ranked #2. Today it's #465, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowMichelle was 7.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 328 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 2,431.
• 🍂TrendMichelle has slipped 129 places over the last five years and now sits at #465. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedMichelle is most popular in New Jersey, where it ranks #246, followed by Illinois (#276) and New Mexico (#296). It's in the top 1,000 in 31 states.
• 💬MeaningMichelle is a French form of Michael, which means “who is like God?”. Our records link it to French and Hebrew roots.

About the name Michelle

Michelle is a girl name of French and Hebrew origin meaning “who is like God?”. It has 8 letters and 3 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-lle”. US birth records list Michelle for girls from 1915 to 2025, in 108 of those 111 years. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked #2 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #465, with 661 babies.

Origin:French namesHebrew names