Contents [hide]

Michel History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Michel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Czech
England
Germany
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Michel

What does the name Michel mean?

The distinguished surname Michel is one of the many names that first came to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is derived from the given name "Michel," meaning "who is like God." 1 One source notes of another possible origin: "Anglo-Saxon mycel, great, or mickle, would be a tolerably satisfactory etymon, and this may in some instances be the origin of the surname; but I think in most cases it is derived from Michael, a very popular baptismal name in many countries, through its French form, Michel." 2

Early Origins of the Michel family

The surname Michel was first found in many places throughout ancient Britain. As if to underscore this claim, the following entries were found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Hugh filius Micahel in Lincolnshire; Roger Michel in Norfolk; and as a forename, Mikael de Brackele in London. Years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed the following: Johannes Michelson; Thomas Michilson and Adam Michelson. 3

Michele Michael was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. Michel de Whepstede was recorded in Punchbeck, Suffolk in 1327. The Curia Regis Rolls for Northumberland listed Gilbert Michel in 1205, while the same rolls for Somerset recorded Robert Michel in Somerset in 1219. 4

"In 1198 Michael de Middelton' held a quarter of a carucate in Middleton, Wiltshire by service of keeping the king's wolf-hounds (Fees). About 1219 William Michel received per day for keeping two wolf-hounds and in 1236 Richard Michel held a cotset in Middleton for a similar service. The relationship between the three men is not stated but it appears a reasonable assumption that they were of the same family and that Michaelde Middleton had two sons who derived their surname Michel from their father's Christian name." 4

The name was "distributed over England, but far more frequent in the south. Its home, par excellence, is in the county of Cornwall, where in nearly half the instances it is written Michell, though the pronunciation is the same. Its other homes are in Sussex, Wilts, and in the West Riding. Its prevalence in Cornwall is due to the fact that several parishes and places in the county bear the name of St. Michael in one form or another." 5

In Devon, Thomas Mitchell was Warden of St Mary's College, Ottery St Mary in 1511.

Early History of the Michel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Michel research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1068, 1320, 1344, 1384, 1438, 1586, 1624, 1635, 1647, 1649, 1650, 1661, 1662, 1668, 1672, 1696, 1740, 1745, 1816 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Michel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Michel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mitchell, Michel, Michell, Mitchill, Mychell, Mitcham and many more.

Early Notables of the Michel family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Jonathan Mitchel (1624?-1668), New England divine, born in Halifax, Yorkshire, about 1624, was son of Matthew Mitchel. He accompanied his parents to America in 1635, graduated at Harvard in 1647, and on 24 June 1649 preached at Hartford, Connecticut, with such acceptance that he was invited to succeed Thomas Hooker (1586-1647). This offer he declined. In May 1650 he was elected fellow of Harvard, and appears to have acted as tutor. In June 1661 he was one of the committee appointed to defend the privileges of the colony, then...
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Michel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Michel World Ranking

In the United States, the name Michel is the 1,601^st most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 6 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Michel is ranked the 530^th most popular surname. 7 And in France, the name Michel is the 14^th popular surname with an estimated 74,318 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Michel family to Ireland

Some of the Michel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 137 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Michel migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Michel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Franz Ludwig Michel, who settled in the Carolinas in 1701
Franz Ludwig Michel, who arrived in North Carolina in 1704 9
Johan Michel, who arrived in New York in 1709 9
Kasper Michel, who arrived in New York in 1709 9
Otto Henrig Michel, who landed in New York in 1709 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Michel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Michel, who arrived in America in 1810 9
John Michel, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1812 9
Frances Michel, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1829 9
George Michel, aged 52, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1832 9
Jacob Michel, aged 19, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1832 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Michel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Michel Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Jean Michel, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 1st April 1643 10
Andre Michel, who landed in Montreal in 1663

Michel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Peter Michel, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Mr. Carlman Michel U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 11
Mr. Harvey Michel U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 11

Michel Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Darius Michel, who arrived in Canada in 1836

Michel migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Michel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

H. Michel, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bardaster" in 1839 12

Michel migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Michel Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Michel, British settler travelling from London via Cape ports aboard the ship "Pembroke Castle" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th November 1889 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Michel (post 1700) +

Robert Henry "Bob" Michel (1923-2017), American Republican Party politician, House Minority Leader (1981-1995), recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994
Prakazrel Samuel "Pras" Michel (b. 1972), American two-time Grammy-winning American rapper
F. Curtis Michel (b. 1934), American astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut 14
Jean Michel (1949-2025), French politician, member of the National Assembly for Puy-de-Dôme's 6th constituency (1997-2012)
Anne Michel (1959-2023), Belgian sprinter
Pierre Michel (1929-2023), French cyclist
Francisco Javier Santana Michel (1958-2015), Mexican botanist
Georges Michel (1946-2022), French rugby union player for Tarbes Pyrénées Rugby (c. 1964-1973)
Andrée Michel (1920-2022), French sociologist, feminist, anticolonialist, and antimilitarist
Jean-Pierre Michel (1938-2021), French politician, member of the Senate of France, representing the Haute-Saône department from 2004 to 2014
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Michel family +

Flight TWA 800

Mr. Pascal Luc Simon Michel (d. 1996), from Montpelier, France, French passenger flying aboard Flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash 15

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BARDASTER 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Bardcaster.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) F. Michel. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/michel-fc.html
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm