Mikel
Boy nameMikel has been given to 12,554 babies in the U.S. since 1882. It peaked in 1989. In 2025, about 1 in 21,087 boys was named Mikel.
Meaning & origin
Borrowed from Basque Mikel.
Origin: Basque
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
12,554
Peak year
1989 (224 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1882
10-year trend
▼ -47%
Gender split
8% girls / 92% boys
Rank through the decades
Mikel's rank among U.S. boy names at 25-year milestones.
| Year | Boys rank |
|---|---|
| 1950 | #710 |
| 1975 | #721 |
| 2000 | #852 |
— means outside the top 1000 that year.
Spellings & variants
Names one letter away from Mikel — alternate spellings parents actually use.
Famous people named Mikel
Mikel Arteta
Spanish football manager
Mikel Merino
Spanish footballer (born 1996)
Mikel Oyarzabal
Spanish footballer (born 1997)
Mikel San José
Spanish association football player
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Mikel.
FAQ
How popular is the name Mikel?
Mikel has been given to 12,554 babies in the U.S. since 1882. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.
When did the name Mikel peak?
Mikel peaked in 1989, when 224 babies were given the name.
Is Mikel a girl or boy name?
Mikel is primarily a boy name (92% of babies named Mikel are boys).
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