NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Mikel

A variant of the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God?".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Mikel is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Mikel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1517, with 17 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 24 births.

This profile covers 342 England and Wales registrations across 26 recorded years from 1999 to 2024. 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 71% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 343 living people in the UK are called Mikel. 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 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Mikel ranked #1517 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 17 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2012, when 24 boys were registered as Mikel.
  • Mikel ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2008.
  • About 343 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mikel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1517

2024

Births in 2024

17

Latest year

Peak year

2012

24 births

Estimated living

343

2026

Meaning

What does Mikel mean?

The name Mikel is derived from the Hebrew name Michael, which means "who is like God?". Its origins can be traced back to the 8th century BC in ancient Israel. The name is derived from the roots "mi" meaning "who" and "el" meaning "God".

In the Bible, Michael is one of the principal archangels and is described as the leader of the heavenly armies against Satan and his forces. He is mentioned in the Book of Daniel, the Book of Revelation, and the Epistle of Jude. The name gained popularity after the rise of Christianity and spread throughout Europe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mikel is in the 9th century AD, when it was used by a Basque prince named Mikel Semenovitch. The name was particularly popular in the Basque regions of Spain and France, where it was often spelled as "Mikel" or "Mikele".

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Mikel. In the 12th century, Mikel de Ahuntzio was a Basque writer and philosopher known for his works on ethics and metaphysics. In the 16th century, Mikel Elizaizkin was a Basque explorer who accompanied Juan Sebastián Elcano on the first circumnavigation of the world.

During the Renaissance, Mikel Angelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was an Italian artist, sculptor, and architect, best known for his masterpieces such as the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the statue of David. Another famous Mikel was Mikel Servetus (1511-1553), a Spanish theologian and polymath who was controversially executed for heresy.

In the 20th century, Mikel Unamuno (1864-1936) was a renowned Spanish philosopher, writer, and poet, known for his existentialist works and his opposition to the Franco regime. Mikel Foucault (1926-1984) was a French philosopher, social theorist, and literary critic, whose works explored themes of power, knowledge, and discourse.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Mikel over time

The chart below shows babies named Mikel registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1999 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 Mikel, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 17 births in 2024, compared with 24 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Mikel
06121824199920112024

Decades

Mikel by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mikel 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 #1721 71 5
2010s #1457 172 10
2000s #2079 95 10
1990s #2425 4 1

Geography

Where Mikel is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mikel. 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.

Mikel ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2008.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Mikel in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#638 in 2008

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Related

Names similar to Mikel

FAQ

Mikel: questions and answers

How popular is the name Mikel in the UK right now?

In 2024, Mikel was ranked #1517 for boys in England and Wales, with 17 births registered.

When was Mikel most popular?

The peak year on record was 2012, with 24 babies registered as Mikel in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Mikel?

A variant of the Hebrew name Michael, meaning "who is like God?".

How many people are called Mikel in the UK?

A total of 342 babies have been registered as Mikel across the 26 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Mikel most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Mikel ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #638 in 2008. 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.