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ETYMOLOGY:

The female given name Michelle (pronounced muh-SHELL or mee-SHELL) is the French feminine form of the Hebrew name Michael.

The name Michael is usually translated as "who is like God?" but more accurately translates as "what is God like?" which can be interpreted as a message urging Christians to seek God out.
The French spelling is used in English speaking countries and locations throughout Europe.

ORIGIN & HISTORY:

The name Michael is used a lot it the Bible with the best known bearer of the name being the captain of angels who cast Satan out of Heaven as described in Revelations.

Michael is also the name of several Saints.

POPULARITY:

In the United States the name Michelle went through a sharp rise in popularity in the 1950s and went on to reach a high point of 4th in the rankings during the 1970s, it has since gradually declined in popularity, however it still holds a strong position in the top thousand names, ranking as the 80th most popular name for new born baby girls in the United States in 2006.

It is possible that the 1965 Beatles song "Michelle" and the career of successful actress Michelle Pfeiffer have contributed to the ongoing popularity of the name.

The name is very popular for girls in Canada (British Columbia) and Austria.

NAMESAKES:

Fictional characters:

Michelle Dessler, a fictional character in the TV series 24 played by Reiko Aylesworth.

Michelle Anabth Flaherty, a fictional character in the film American Pie played by Alyson Hannigan.

Hurricane Michelle, a strong 2001 hurricane with the distinction of being the 13th named hurricane.

FAMOUS PERSONS:

Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (born October 11th 1985), an American actress best known for role as Dawn Summers in the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (born April 29th 1958), an award winning actress best known for her roles in Batman Returns, Scarface and Grease2.

Michelle Rohl (born November 11th 1965), a retired American race walker.

Michelle Kwan, (born 7th July 1980), an American athlete widely considered to be one of the greatest figure skaters of all time. She has received the most awards and decorations for a figure skater in US history.

NAME VARIANTS:

Michelle has 36 variant forms: Chelle, Machelle, Mashelle, M'chelle, Mechelle, Meechelle, Me'Shell, Meshella, Mia, Micaela, Michaela, Michaelina, Michaeline, Michaella, Michal, Michela, Michele, Michelina, Micheline, Michell, Michella, Micki, Mickie, Midge, Miguela, Miguelita, Mikaela, Miquela, Misha, Mishaelle, Mishelle, M'shell, Mychele, Mychelle, Myshell and Myshella.

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