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Michelle (name)

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Michelle
French actress Michèle Morgan helped popularize the name Michelle.
Pronunciation/mɪˈʃɛl/ mish-EL
GenderFemale
Origin
Language(s)Hebrew via French and English
Meaning"Who is like God?"
Other names
Variant form(s)Michele, Michaela, Micaela, Michalina[1]
Short form(s)Chelle, Elle,[2] Ellie, Elly, Shelley, Shelly
DerivedMichèle
Related namesMichael, Michaela, Michel, Ellie, Mitchell

Michelle is a given name, originally a variant of Michèle, the French feminine form of Michel, derived from the Hebrew name Michael meaning "Who is like God?".[3] The usual Latin feminine form of the name was Michaela, with Michael the vernacular form for both men and women. The name was given in reference to the archangel Michael, a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. The usual French feminine form of the name was Micheline. The name Michelle was rare until the 20th century. It became a popular name in France and later throughout the Anglosphere after 1930, popularized by French-born film actress Michèle Morgan, who was born Simone Roussel. The name was further popularized by the 1965 hit Beatles song "Michelle". The name peaked in usage for American girls in 1968, when it was among the five most popular names for newborn girls. The name has since declined in popularity but remains in regular use in English-speaking as well as French-speaking countries.[3] [4] [5]

It is also a surname.

Variants and cognates

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Notable people named Michelle

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As given name

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As stage name

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  • Michel'le (born 1970), hip hop artist in the 1980s and 1990s
  • Michelle (born 1972), German singer

As surname

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Fictional characters

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hanks, P.; Hodges, F. (1996). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford paperback reference. Oxford University Press. p. 3262. ISBN 978-0-19-280050-3.
  2. ^ Hanks, P.; Hodges, F. (1996). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford paperback reference. Oxford University Press. p. 836. ISBN 978-0-19-280050-3.
  3. ^ a b Hanks, P.; Hodges, F. (1996). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford paperback reference. Oxford University Press. p. 3267. ISBN 978-0-19-280050-3.
  4. ^ Campbell, Niamh (20 April 2022). "Derry Girls-inspired baby names gain popularity across UK and Ireland". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  5. ^ Evans, Cleveland Kent (17 January 2021). "Cleveland Evans: Beatles song accelerates Michelle's boom". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
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