Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Mitchell

Mitchell is the transferred use of an English and/or Scottish surname, itself derived from a medieval nickname for Michael (taken from the Norman pronunciation of the French Michel). The first recorded spelling of the surname came in the early 13th century when it was written as “Michel”. Michael, of course, comes from the Hebrew “mikha'el” which actually translates into a question: “Who is like God?” It seems odd to have a first name that basically asks a question, one would think. However, the question is thought to be rhetorical. The implied answer is clear: no one is like God. Therefore, the translation of the name Michael is often one of humility. In the bible, Michael was one of the archangels who stood close to God and carried out His judgments, and as a protector of the ancient Hebrews. Michael was the chief leader of the angels who fought and defeated the dragon (i.e., the devil), hurling him from heaven. As such, he became of symbol of the Church Militant and a patron saint of soldiers. Fittingly, Michael became popularized in the Middle Ages during the Crusades (Christian Holy Wars against the Muslims for the Holy Land) as western Europeans saw themselves as soldiers of God. The name Michael conveys a sense of power, bravery and strength by its translated meaning; but it is also a symbol of humility expressed very simply by that question mark. Out of all the English-speaking countries, the name Mitchell has seen its highest success in Australia.

All About the Baby Name – Mitchell

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME MITCHELL

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME MITCHELL

Mitchell is a surname-turned-first-name that has been used as a given name in the United States since at least the 19th century. The name has been moderately used throughout the 20th century, but the clear peak of his popularity came during the 1990s – for 10 years between 1988 and 1997, Mitchell was a Top 100 most favored boy’s name. In 1994, the name was given to over 5000 baby boys (which doesn’t sound like a whole lot but on a relative basis, that’s an impressive number). The name’s popularity has dropped considerably as we’ve crossed the threshold into the 21st century. In the past 10 years, Mitchell has declined almost 300 positions on the male naming charts – bringing him from trendy back to underused and barely fashionable territory. Today the name is given to just over 700 baby boys each year. We love the idea of using Mitchell as a modern twist on the father’s name Michael. Mitchell is cooler and more hip than the old timeless classic Michael. And yet Mitchell has been around for centuries in his own right. Mitchell is a cute name that ages into adulthood nicely, and Mitch is a masculine, strong-sounding pet form. We’re glad its trendy days are behind him. That just makes Mitchell more of an original choice for parents of today.

Quick Facts

ON MITCHELL

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

458

PRONUNCIATION:

MICH-əl

SIMPLE MEANING:

Who is like God?

Characteristics

OF MITCHELL

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Mitchell

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME MITCHELL

Mitchell Sanders is one of the main characters in Tim O’Brien’s collection of short stories about foot soldiers before, during, and after the Vietnam War, first published in 1990 and titled “The Things They Carried”. Mitchell is the platoon’s RTO (Radio Telephone Operator) so he symbolizes intelligent communication. He is kind, truthful and generally obsessed with finding the moral behind the actions of the stories. He also fancies himself a ladies-man which is underscored by what he ‘carries’ around – condoms and a set of nicely laundered and pressed fatigues fitting for a special occasion (perhaps a little optimistic given their war-torn reality).

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME MITCHELL

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Mitchell


Popular Songs

ON MITCHELL

Play Little David (Joni Mitchell)
A great little diddy by Joni Mitchell.

Famous People

NAMED MITCHELL

Mitchell Boggs (baseball player)
Mitchell Butler (basketball player)
Mitchell Johnson (artist)
Mitchell Page (baseball player)
Mitchell Ryan (actor)
Mitchell Wiggins (basketball player)
Mitchell Baker (businesswoman/activist)

Children of Famous People

NAMED MITCHELL

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Mitchell

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME MITCHELL

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Mitchell