by R.L Hanlon

Created on: December 31, 2007

GENDER: Female
PRONUNCIATION: Michelle is pronounced Mee-shell
MEANING: Who resembles God

ETYMOLOGY: The name Michelle is French and Hebrew in origin.

ORIGIN AND HISTORY:

The name Michelle is the feminine form of the boys name Michael.

Michael was the only other archangel along with Gabriel who were given personal names in the bible. Michael the archangel is usually perceived as the field commander of the Army of God in the Book of Revelations. He led the army of God to fight evil.

Saint Michael is said to be the patron saint that cares for the sick and injured.

The French feminine name of Michael is Michel. It is used as a popular given name throughout the world.

POPULARITY:

According to the Social Security Administration, the name Michelle is ranked at 55th place for popular baby girl names. It has continued to rise and remain a highly ranked and popular name since the 1950's.

In 2006, the name Michelle was ranked at number 80.

FASCINATING FACTS:

The Beatles wrote a song in 1965 titled Michelle'. John Lennon and Paul McCartney used to attend college parties, and at this time French culture was very popular. Paul would try and fit in with these people and friends of Johns by sitting in a corner pretending to be French. Liking the name Michelle, they came up with a little ditty that eventually went on to win them a Grammy in 1966 for Song of the Year.

In numerology the name number of the name Michelle is 4. This means someone bearing the name Michelle will be practical and down to earth.

Michelle is a popular name given to baby girls in Canada.

NAMESAKES:

The Beatles popular ballad Michelle'.

Hurricane Michelle was one of the strongest tropical hurricanes in 2001. She caused mass destruction and a total of 17 deaths across the Atlantic.

FAMOUS PEOPLE:

Michelle Kwan an American Olympic figure skater
Michelle Pfeiffer- an actress who has been the recipient of many high awards including an Oscar. She starred in The Fabulous Baker Boys, Dangerous Minds, I am Sam and The Witches of Eastwick.

Michelle Bachelet President of the Republic of Chile

NAME VARIANTS:

There are so many variants of the name Michelle and they can be either male or female due to its close association with the name Michael. Here are some of the more popular variations.

Machelle, Mashelle, M'chelle, Me'shell, Micaela, Michaela, Michela, Michel, Michella, Myshell, Miguela.

NICKNAMES:

Shell, Shelley, Mia, Mickie, Micki, Mish.

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