Wednesday, June 25, 2025

A woman named Michael

When actress Michael Michele gained notoriety in the 1990s from the tv show ER, I was certain I misread her name, that is was backward and was: Michele Michael. I was wrong. I was floored hearing a woman was named 📛Michael!  

Michael Michele's birth name is seriously that (well, Michael Michele Williams to be exact). She was named by her mother, in honor of her mother's best friend, a woman named Michael

📛Michael is from the Hebrew name Mika'el meaning, 'who is like God?' It is a historically male name and one of the most popular names for boys (as of 2024 #18) to be named. Who doesn't know a Michael?! I've personally known close to 10 (seven I can remember) in my life so far.    

But meeting a Michael that's female? Now that's a true rarity. Nameberry says on girls named Michael"Michael ranked in the Top 1000 for GIRLS' names for more than half a century, from 1938 until 1994. In the late 1970s and early 80s, during the heyday of The Waltons which starred actress Michael Learned, it reached as high as the 300s. What happened then? Our guess is that the rise of Michaela, the tenacity of Michael at the head of the boys' list, and the popularity of Michelle/Michele all conspired to knock Michael-for-girls off the list. And giving this name to your daughter would invite a lifetime of explanations, though it does have a musical sound that can be as attractive for girls as it is for boys...and a darn sight fresher." Name Census cites by way of SSA data: in 2023 20 baby girls were named Michael.  

I'm shocked girls are being named Michael in the 2020s. More so, I genuinely thought Michael Michele was an anomaly and "the first female Michael." And the only one even. 🤦🏾‍♀️ Actress Michael Learned came before her to my surprise. 🤯 There is a child actress cutely named closely to Michael Michele but her name is spelled alternatively: 📛Mykal-Michelle

I think the name Michael for a girl is really something, it's cool in one sense, but it can get very confusing (at least on paper. It's even weird writing this post and referring to Michael as a female)... 🤔 I'm not the biggest fan of the name Michael (anymore) but I still prefer it for a male over a female, call me old-fashioned with the timeless name. 🤷🏾‍♀️   

The name 📛Shannon for example, is a predominately female used name but it also is used often enough by males where no one blinks. I wonder if the name Michael will ever be that interchangeable where one isn't with jaws dropped if a little girl or woman is introduced as a 📛Michael. 😮  

I don't foresee that... 📛Michael is such a masculine name, it's just expected to be used for males. I don't consider it a bona fide unisex name (a la Shannon). It probably will always be more popular for boys to be named over girls. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.    


📛IRN RATING OF 📛Michael👎 OR  💓💓💓💓💓/10    





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