Mykhail
A Ukrainian form of Michał, from the Hebrew for "who is like god". It's still rare in Poland: fewer than 200 men carry it, given only to boys and mostly arriving in the last few years.
Mykhail Pronunciation
Mykhail is pronounced mihk-KHAH-eel (/mɨkˈxail/).
What Mykhail means
Where Mykhail comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Mykhail comes from the Hebrew Mikha'el, and its short meaning is really a question: who is like God. No one, the old grammar answers. In Ukrainian the name takes the fuller shape Mykhailo, and it belongs to figures like Mykhailo Hrushevsky, the historian who chaired the Central Rada in 1917 and helped shape how Ukraine wrote its own past.
Cross into Polish and the same Hebrew root surfaces as Michał, the variant a clerk would enter on an official form at the urząd. From Michał the feminine Michalina branches off, so the name reaches daughters as well as sons.
The Hebrew question stayed fixed to every version. Who is like God. A boy called Mykhail holds that line whether or not he ever learns its grammar, and the Polish gloss, kto jest jak bóg, keeps it plain for anyone who asks.
How many people are named Mykhail
1 in 110032 men in Poland is named Mykhail. 194 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #2277 among male names.
Mykhail's popularity over time
3 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #1321 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2020.
Where parents choose Mykhail
Mykhail is most popular in West Pomeranian, 1180% above the national average (3 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Lower Silesian (+588%).
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West Pomeranian
+1,180%1 in 28,142 babies
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Lower Silesian
+588%1 in 52,378 babies
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West Pomeranian+1,180% 3 born1 in 28,142 babies+1,180%
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Lower Silesian+588% 3 born1 in 52,378 babies+588%