Miguel

#36 in New Mexico

Meaning of Miguel

Miguel, the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the Hebrew patronym Mika’el—literally translated as the rhetorical question “Who is like God?”—enters the Anglo-American onomastic inventory as a trans-lingual bridge between biblical tradition and Hispanic cultural presence; its phonetic realization in English customarily approximates mee-GEL, whereas the Spanish articulation employs the softer velar fricative, mee-GEL (/miˈɣel/). Historically anchored to the Archangel Michael, defender of the faithful in Judeo-Christian texts, the name accrues layered associations through a lineage of saints, monarchs, and scholars, most famously the Golden-Age novelist Miguel de Cervantes, whose Don Quixote shaped Western literary consciousness. In contemporary culture the designation maintains visibility via figures such as Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Miguel Jontel Pimentel and Venezuelan Hall-of-Fame slugger Miguel Cabrera, reinforcing its resonance across artistic and athletic domains. United States vital-statistics data underscore a steady popularity curve: after breaching the national top-100 threshold at the turn of the millennium, Miguel has gently receded to the lower half of the second hundred by 2024, a pattern indicative of demographic diffusion rather than obsolescence. The name thus offers prospective parents a linguistically versatile and theologically rich option, simultaneously honoring Hispanic heritage and integrating seamlessly within an English-speaking milieu.

Pronunciation

British English

  • Pronunced as mee-GEL (/miˈdʒɛl/)

American English

  • Pronunced as mee-GEL (/miˈɡɛl/)

Spanish

  • Pronunced as mee-GEL (/miˈɣel/)

U.S. Popularity Chart

States Popularity Chart

Similar Names to Miguel

Notable People Named Miguel

Guatemalan writer and diplomat Miguel Angel Asturias won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Literature and championed the indigenous cultures of his homeland.
Miguel de Unamuno was a Spanish writer, philosopher, and academic best known for The Tragic Sense of Life and the novels Mist and Abel Sanchez.
Miguel de Cervantes was a Spanish writer best known for Don Quixote, often considered the first modern novel and a cornerstone of world literature.
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla - Miguel Hidalgo was a Mexican Catholic priest who led the Mexican War of Independence and is honored as the Father of the Nation.
Miguel Induráin - Miguel Indurain is a retired Spanish road cyclist who won five consecutive Tours de France from 1991 to 1995, the only rider with five in a row.
Miguel Zenón - Miguel Zenon is a Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, a Grammy winner and MacArthur Fellow with many acclaimed albums and over 100 sideman credits.
Miguel López de Legazpi - Don Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a Spanish Basque conquistador, financed and led the Pacific crossing that brought Spanish rule to the Philippines, founding the first Spanish settlement at Cebu in 1565.
Miguel Hernández - Miguel Hernandez Gilabert was a self taught 20th century Spanish poet and playwright from a humble background, associated with the Generations of 27 and 36, whose Elegy was written in memory of his friend Ramon Sije.
Blessed Miguel Pro was a Mexican Jesuit priest executed under President Plutarco Elias Calles after being falsely accused of bombing and attempting to assassinate former President Alvaro Obregon.
Miguel Maria Grau Seminario was a Peruvian admiral and statesman famed for chivalry in the War of the Pacific and revered in both Peru and Chile.
Miguel Angel Cardona is an American educator and Democrat who served as US Secretary of Education under President Joe Biden after serving as Connecticut education commissioner.
Miguel Febres Cordero, born Francisco Luis Febres Cordero y Munoz, was an Ecuadorian Roman Catholic La Salle Brother.
Miguel Ángel Revilla Roiz is a Spanish politician and economist who became the longest serving President of Cantabria, holding office from 2003 to 2011 and 2015 to 2023, and is widely known nationally.
Joao Miguel Macedo Silva is a Portuguese goalkeeper for Beitar Jerusalem in the Israeli Premier League.
Miguel Angel Nadal Homar is a Spanish former professional footballer known for his versatility as a defender and midfielder.
Miriam Johnson
Curated byMiriam Johnson

Assistant Editor