Michael
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name, a less common spelling of Mikael. From Vulgate Latin Michaēl, Michahēl, from Biblical Hebrew מיכאל (mikhael, “who is like God?”). First recorded as a given name in Sweden in the 13th century.
Source: Wiktionary, Swedish entry for Michael (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Michael has been falling over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 1998. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 62 |
| 1999 | 52 |
| 2000 | 59 |
| 2001 | 41 |
| 2002 | 51 |
| 2003 | 41 |
| 2004 | 43 |
| 2005 | 30 |
| 2006 | 38 |
| 2007 | 22 |
| 2008 | 34 |
| 2009 | 32 |
| 2010 | 30 |
| 2011 | 32 |
| 2012 | 31 |
| 2013 | 23 |
| 2014 | 35 |
| 2015 | 34 |
| 2016 | 31 |
| 2017 | 42 |
| 2018 | 33 |
| 2019 | 24 |
| 2020 | 22 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 20 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 17,400 |
| 2000 | 17,657 |
| 2001 | 17,927 |
| 2002 | 18,235 |
| 2003 | 18,650 |
| 2004 | 18,858 |
| 2005 | 18,800 |
| 2006 | 18,998 |
| 2007 | 19,128 |
| 2008 | 19,511 |
| 2009 | 19,605 |
| 2010 | 19,694 |
| 2011 | 19,731 |
| 2012 | 19,777 |
| 2013 | 19,866 |
| 2014 | 19,962 |
| 2015 | 20,088 |
| 2016 | 20,230 |
| 2017 | 20,353 |
| 2018 | 20,403 |
| 2019 | 20,509 |
| 2020 | 20,540 |
Michael in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Michael.Hi! My name is Michael.
- Michael har bott i Uppsala i tre år.Michael has lived in Uppsala for three years.
- Vet du om Michael kommer på festen på lördag?Do you know if Michael is coming to the party on Saturday?
- Michaels mamma är lärare.Michael's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Michaels mamma is Michael's mum.
Related names and other spellings
More names
Questions about Michael
How do you pronounce Michael in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Michael in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Michael mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name, a less common spelling of Mikael. From Vulgate Latin Michaēl, Michahēl, from Biblical Hebrew מיכאל (mikhael, “who is like God?”). First recorded as a given name in Sweden in the 13th century.
How popular is Michael in Sweden?
20 babies were named Michael in 2022. In 2020, 20,540 people in Sweden had Michael as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been falling lately and peaked in 1998 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.