Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1989

Mikel

Meaning A male given name from Basque, equivalent to English Michael Gender Unisex · 8% girls Rank 2025 #1,930 Trend ↓ Falling 27%

A male given name from Basque, equivalent to English Michael.

Rank 2025
#1,930
among boys · ↓141 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
81
named Mikel · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 21,087
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1989
224 babies
All-time total
12,554
#1,104 all-time among boys
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Mikel popularity over time

12,554 babies have been named Mikel since 1882, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 5 5 1 – #1,045
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 35 35 4 – #2,488
1920s – 46 46 5 +31% #3,092
1930s 13 50 63 6 +37% #1,937
1940s 56 430 486 49 +671% #780
1950s 46 1,503 1,549 155 +219% #513
1960s 91 1,144 1,235 124 -20% #660
1970s 174 1,261 1,435 144 +16% #711
1980s 218 1,438 1,656 166 +15% #699
1990s 221 1,699 1,920 192 +16% #749
2000s 143 1,805 1,948 195 +1% #852
2010s 33 1,516 1,549 155 -20% #1,112
2020s (to 2025) – 627 627 105 -33% #1,447

Where Mikel is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 77 0.04 outside top 500
2027 73 0.04 outside top 500
2028 70 0.04 outside top 500
2029 68 0.04 outside top 500
2030 66 0.04 outside top 500

Where Mikel is most popular

Boys named Mikel per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.059 per 1,000. Strongest in Florida, North Carolina, and Texas.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Mikel born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Florida 50 0.106 +80%
North Carolina 20 0.078 +33%
Texas 66 0.075 +28%
New York 32 0.074 +26%
California 65 0.071 +21%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -17%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -18%
Georgia 12 0.047 -19%
Maryland 5 0.042 -29%
Illinois 5 0.020 -67%
Ohio 5 0.019 -68%
Pennsylvania 5 0.019 -68%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Mikel

Mikel is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,930 in 2025 with 81 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 12,554 American babies have been named Mikel, about 92% boys and 8% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1989, when 224 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Mikel stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Mikel?

The median living Mikel is about 34 years old; half are between 19 and 52. An estimated 11 thousand people named Mikel are alive in the United States today.

median 34 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Mikel year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 81 #1,930
2024 – – 92 #1,789
2023 – – 107 #1,629
2022 – – 116 #1,547
2021 – – 111 #1,571
2020 – – 120 #1,447
2019 – – 121 #1,447
2018 8 #12,131 154 #1,217
2017 – – 138 #1,311
2016 – – 146 #1,259
2015 5 #18,269 149 #1,229
2014 – – 165 #1,149
2013 6 #15,919 155 #1,165
2012 – – 157 #1,165
2011 7 #14,337 159 #1,139
2010 7 #14,481 172 #1,112
2009 9 #12,134 166 #1,116
2008 16 #7,993 182 #1,045
2007 9 #12,338 184 #1,025
2006 9 #12,093 188 #992
2005 12 #9,264 181 #966
2004 17 #6,995 201 #872
2003 15 #7,466 166 #971
2002 12 #8,652 169 #951
2001 21 #5,499 180 #879
2000 23 #5,096 188 #852
1995 19 #5,159 149 #902
1990 22 #4,470 182 #756
1985 14 #5,248 157 #703
1980 16 #4,665 126 #781
1975 24 #3,020 132 #721
1970 9 #5,672 126 #733
1965 – – 103 #733
1960 6 #6,167 126 #700
1955 – – 153 #597
1950 8 #4,210 94 #710
1945 – – 39 #1,026
1940 7 #3,745 17 #1,726
1935 – – – –
1930 – – 6 #3,872
1925 – – 5 #4,674
1920 – – 8 #3,396
1915 – – 7 #3,279
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Mikel

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Mikel Arteta Mikel Arteta Spanish football manager (born 1982) Contemporary
  2. 2 Mikel Merino Mikel Merino Spanish footballer (born 1996) Contemporary
  3. 3 Mikel Alonso Mikel Alonso Spanish footballer (born 1980) Contemporary
  4. 4 Mikel Landa Mikel Landa Spanish road cyclist b. 1989 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Mikel San José Mikel San José Spanish footballer (born 1989) Contemporary
  6. 6 Mikel Balenziaga Mikel Balenziaga Spanish footballer (born 1988) Contemporary
  7. 7 Mikel Aranburu Mikel Aranburu Spanish footballer (born 1979) Contemporary
  8. 8 Mikel Herzog Musical artist b. 1960 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Mikel Lasa Spanish football player and manager b. 1971 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Mikel Rico Mikel Rico Spanish footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  11. 11 Mikel Laboa Mikel Laboa Musical artist 1934–2008 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Mikel González Spanish footballer (born 1985) Contemporary
  13. 13 Mikel Nieve Mikel Nieve Spanish road bicycle racer b. 1984 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Mikel Agu Nigerian professional footballer (born 1993) Contemporary
  15. 15 Mikel Labaka Mikel Labaka Spanish footballer b. 1980 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Mikel Koliqi Mikel Koliqi Albanian Roman Catholic cardinal 1900–1997 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Mikel Astarloza Mikel Astarloza Spanish cyclist b. 1979 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Mikel, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Mikel?

The median living Mikel is about 34 years old. Half of all living Mikels are between 19 and 52 years old.

How many people named Mikel are alive today?

An estimated 11 thousand people named Mikel are alive in the United States, based on 12,554 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Mikel mean?

A male given name from Basque, equivalent to English Michael.

How popular is the name Mikel in 2025?

Mikel ranked #1,930 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 81 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Mikel?

12,554 babies have been named Mikel in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Mikel most popular?

Mikel peaked in 1989, when 224 newborns received the name.

Is Mikel a boy or girl name?

Mikel is used for both: about 8% of babies named Mikel have been girls and 92% boys.

Is the name Mikel rising or falling?

Mikel is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Mikel become more popular?

Mikel is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 66 boys named Mikel in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Mikel?

Well-known people named Mikel include Mikel Arteta (soccer player), Mikel Merino (soccer player), Mikel Alonso (soccer player).

Names like Mikel

Names that sound and feel close to Mikel: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Mikel with similar names → More names starting with M →