UK name, mostly girls
Michele
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Also recorded as a boys' name in the UK, with 147 boys.
Michele is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Michele popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5669, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 8 births.
This profile covers 64 England and Wales registrations across 15 recorded years from 1996 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 38% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 481 living people in the UK are called Michele. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2023 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Michele ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales in 2022, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 8 girls were registered as Michele.
- • Michele ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #554 in 1994.
- • Michele is also recorded for boys, but the girls side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 481 living people in the UK are estimated to have Michele as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 69.7% of Michele registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5669
2022
Births in 2022
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
8 births
Estimated living
481
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Michele
In England and Wales birth records, Michele has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 69.7% of registrations are for boys and 30.3% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Michele registered for boys
- Ranked #3,254 in 2024
- 6 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (11 births)
Michele registered for girls
- Ranked #5,669 in 2022
- 3 girls registered in 2022
- Peak: 1996 (8 births)
Meaning
What does Michele mean?
The name Michele has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, derived from the name Michael, which means "who is like God" or "one who is like God." The name's earliest recorded use dates back to ancient times.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, the name Michael is mentioned as the name of an archangel, one of the principal angels in the Jewish and Christian traditions. This association with a powerful celestial being contributed to the name's popularity and subsequent variations across different languages and cultures.
The name Michele is the Italian and French variant of Michael, reflecting the linguistic evolution and adaptations that occurred as the name spread throughout Europe. It was particularly prevalent in regions with strong Italian and French cultural influences.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Michele can be found in the works of the renowned Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), who mentioned a character named Michele in his literary masterpiece, the Divine Comedy.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Michele. One example is Michele da Cuneo (c. 1495-1564), an Italian painter and architect active during the Renaissance period, known for his frescoes and architectural designs.
Another prominent figure was Michele di Lando (c. 1335-1389), an Italian banker and statesman who served as the Gonfalonier (chief magistrate) of Florence in the late 14th century.
In the realm of science, Michele Ruggeri (1543-1607) was an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the theory of planetary motion.
The name Michele also found its way into the arts, with Michele Marieschi (1710-1743), an Italian painter celebrated for his vedute (view paintings) depicting the cityscapes of Venice.
Another notable bearer of the name was Michele Scuppoli (1617-1693), an Italian Catholic prelate and Bishop of Ripatransone, who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Michele, highlighting its enduring presence and cultural significance across various fields and eras.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Michele over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Michele in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Michele, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2022, compared with 8 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Michele by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Michele was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #5669 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #5797 | 12 | 4 |
| 2000s | #4190 | 25 | 6 |
| 1990s | #2496 | 24 | 4 |
Geography
Where Michele is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Michele. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Michele ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #554 in 1994.
Across the UK
Michele in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#554 in 1994
20 years of NRS records, 428 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Michele
-
Michele Webber
visual artist
1967-
-
Michele Karbassioun
visual artist
1945-
-
Michele Lancione
urban planner; geographer; university teacher
researcher ORCID ID = 0000-0002-9018-3562
-
Michele Barnes
politician
local politician in Salford
Related
Names similar to Michele
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Michele: questions and answers
How popular is the name Michele in the UK right now?
In 2022, Michele was ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Michele most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 8 babies registered as Michele in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Michele?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
How many people are called Michele in the UK?
A total of 64 babies have been registered as Michele across the 15 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 428 more in Scotland.
Where is Michele most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Michele ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #554 in 1994. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.