Micah (pronounced MY-kuh) derives from the Hebrew language and translates to English as
"who is like (God)." Micah consists of two Hebrew words: "mi" meaning "who," and "cha" meaning "like." One prominent linguistic explanation of Micah suggests that the word "God" is implied in the meaning of the name. Micah is very similar to the slightly longer Hebrew name Michael, which also means "who is like God" but includes the word "el," or God.
Micah and its variations have a rich spiritual history and are often mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. In both the Jewish and Christian religions, probably the most famous Micah is a prophet and spiritual figure from the 8th century B.C. The prophet Micah is known for predicting the fall of Jerusalem, authoring the Book of Micah, and speaking out against injustice and oppression in Israel.
Thousands of years later, Micah
's legacy lives on, as people around the world continue to name their sons and daughters after him. Compared to other Biblical names, Micah is less heard of and is a good pick for a unique yet storied name.
The pronunciation of the name varies across languages and nationalities. There's MY-kuh in the U.S.; mee-ka in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries; me-kuh in Germany; mee-ky-yuh in Denmark; and mee-cha in Russia.
Micah also has many spelling variations, including Micha, Mika, and Myka. Some parents go with these more feminine-looking spellings for girls. There are Biblical references to a woman named Micaiah, too.
Traditionally, Micah has been a boy
's name, and it continues to be more popular for boys than girls in the United States. The name first appeared on the Social Security Administration's list of the top-1000 baby names for boys in 1959, as it has steadily risen through the ranks since then. Micah has almost made it to the top-100 baby names for boys on the SSA list.
Among BabyCenter parents, the trend is similar: Micah is on the rise and has just landed on the top-100 baby names for boys. (BabyCenter
's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby's name with us.)
For girls, Micah is much less common: It isn
't in the top 1,000 names on BabyCenter and ranks around 900 in Social Security Administration data.
For now, Micah is fairly under the radar. But its graceful sound and powerful history may help it take off for baby boys and girls in the years to come.
