Michaela
Encyclopedia
Michaela is a feminine given name
. It is a feminine form of the Hebrew name Michael
(מִיכָאֵל), which means "Who is like God."
It was rare in any country until it became fashionable in Germany
, Austria
and Switzerland
in the 1950s to 1970s. Its use spread to central and northern Europe, then the United Kingdom
and the United States
, where its popularity peaked in 1997, the year in which the popular TV series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
first aired in the U.S. with its lead character Michaela Quinn.
As of 2008, it was 357th in rank for newborn girls in the United States, and 325th in England and Wales.
In Germany, the name day for Michaela is 24 August and 29 September.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
. It is a feminine form of the Hebrew name Michael
Michael
Michael is a given name that comes from the , derived from the Hebrew question מי כמו אלוהים? meaning "Who is like God?" In English, it is sometimes shortened to Mike, Mikey, or, especially in Ireland, Mick...
(מִיכָאֵל), which means "Who is like God."
It was rare in any country until it became fashionable in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in the 1950s to 1970s. Its use spread to central and northern Europe, then the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where its popularity peaked in 1997, the year in which the popular TV series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
first aired in the U.S. with its lead character Michaela Quinn.
As of 2008, it was 357th in rank for newborn girls in the United States, and 325th in England and Wales.
In Germany, the name day for Michaela is 24 August and 29 September.
Variant forms
There are numerous variant spellings. Equivalents in other languages include:- ميكايلا (Arabic)
- მიქაელას (GeorgianGeorgian languageGeorgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
) - Michèle, Micheline (FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) - Michela (ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
) - Michalina (PolishPolish languagePolish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
) - Mihaela (RomanianRomanian languageRomanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
) - Микаэла (RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) - Mikaela (SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
) - Мицхаела (SerbianSerbian languageSerbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
) - Micaela (SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) - Mikal (Eastern EuropeEastern EuropeEastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
) - Miykhaela (First Nation-Canadian)
- Μιχαέλα (GreekGreeksThe Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
)
Notable people with this name
- Michaela BadinkováMichaela Badinková- Biography :Badinková was born in Malacky, Czechoslovakia. She studied Conservatory in Bratislava and Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Her last name is pronounced bah-dyeen-kaw-vah:.-Divadlo Na Fidlovačce:*V korzetu pro tetu .... Meg...
(born 1979), Slovak actress - Michala BanasMichala BanasMichala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas is a New Zealand television actress, and singer now living in Australia.-Career:Born in Wellington, New Zealand, she starred in her first commercial at only 18 months of age....
(born 1978), New Zealand actress best known for the TV series McLeod's DaughtersMcLeod's DaughtersMcLeod's Daughters is a Logie award-winning Australian drama series that aired on the Nine Network from 2001 to 2009. It tells the story of two sisters, Claire and Tess McLeod, who are reunited after they inherit the family farm... - Michaela BercuMichaela BercuMichaela Bercu is a Romanian-Israeli model and actress. She grew up in Bucarest, Romania with her parents and now she's living in Paris with her husband and her children. She is represented by Elite...
(born 1967), Romanian-Israeli model - Michaela ConlinMichaela ConlinMichaela Conlin is an American stage and television actress best known for her work on the Fox TV series Bones, as Angela Montenegro.-Early life:...
(born 1978), American actress in BonesBones (TV series)Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent... - Michaela DenisMichaela DenisMichaela Denis was a British-born wildlife documentary film-maker and presenter, working with her husband, Armand Denis.-Life:...
(1914-2003), British-born film-maker - Michaela DorfmeisterMichaela DorfmeisterMichaela Dorfmeister is a professional alpine skier from Austria. Her specialities are both the Downhill and Super-G disciplines, although she skis in and has had success in Giant Slalom.-Biography:...
(born 1973), Austrian skier - Michaela KargboMichaela KargboMichaela Kargbo is a track and field sprint athlete who competes internationally for Sierra Leone.Kargbo represented Sierra Leone at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She competed at the 100 metres sprint and placed seventh in her heat without advancing to the second round. She ran the distance...
(born 1991), a track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete in Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4... - Michaëlla KrajicekMichaëlla KrajicekMichaëlla Krajicek is a Dutch professional tennis player. Her highest WTA ranking was number 30 on 11 February 2008. She currently is the second best ranked player from the Netherlands behind Arantxa Rus.-Personal life:...
(born 1989), Dutch female tennis player, sister of Richard KrajicekRichard KrajicekRichard Peter Stanislav Krajicek is a Dutch former professional tennis player. In 1996 he won the men's singles title at Wimbledon, the only Dutch player to have done so. In the quarterfinals of that tournament he defeated Pete Sampras. This was Sampras' only singles defeat at Wimbledon between... - Michaela McManusMichaela McManusMichaela McManus is an American actress, best known for her portrayals of Lindsey Strauss on the television series One Tree Hill and A.D.A...
(born 1983), American actress in Law & Order, SVULaw & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... - Mikayla MendezMikayla MendezMikayla Mendez is an American pornographic actress. She began appearing in adult films in around 2003 while at the age of about 23, and has since appeared in over 120 movies...
(born 1980), American pornographic actress - Michaela PaštikováMichaela PaštikováMichaela Paštiková is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. On January 31, 2005, Paštiková achieved her career-high singles ranking: World No. 89.-Singles titles :-External links:...
(born 1980), Czech tennis player - Michaela SchaffrathMichaela SchaffrathMichaela Schaffrath is a German television actress. A former nurse, she got started in the adult film industry after she posed nude for Coupé, a German adult magazine...
(born 1970), German television actress - Michaela StrachanMichaela StrachanMichaela Evelyn Ann Strachan is an English television presenter.-Personal life:Strachan attended Claremont Fan Court School, Esher, a Christian Science school. Later, while at college, she briefly held jobs as an Avon lady and as a kissogram...
(born 1966), British television presenter - Michaela WatkinsMichaela WatkinsMichaela Suzanne Watkins is an American comic actress, best known for her various roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, a regular performer with The Groundlings in Los Angeles, her recurring role as "Lucy" in the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, and for her supporting role as...
(born 1971), American actress - Michaela McAreaveyMurder of Michaela McAreaveyMichaela McAreavey born 31 December 1983 was murdered on 10 January 2011, while she was on honeymoon in Mauritius. She was found strangled to death in her hotel room...
(1983-2011), Ulster Rose of Tralee 2004 and daughter of Mickey HarteMickey HarteMichael "Mickey" Harte is the current manager of Tyrone Gaelic football team. He has led the team to three All-Ireland titles, three Ulster titles, one National League, and four Dr...
Fictional characters
- Mikayla (played by actress Selena GomezSelena GomezSelena Marie Gomez is an American actress and singer best known for portraying Alex Russo in the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place...
) in the American television show Hannah MontanaHannah MontanaHannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real... - Micaela from Bizet's Carmen
- Mikaela BanesMikaela BanesMikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...
in Transformers - Michaela Klingler, the main character (played by Sandra HüllerSandra HüllerSandra Hüller is a German actress. She studied theater from 1996-2000 at the Hochschule Für Schauspielkunst "Ernst Busch", Berlin. She appeared from 1999-2001 at the Jena Theater, Thuringia and then for one year at the Schauspielhaus Leipzig...
) in the 2006 German film Requiem - Michaela Quinn, main character in TV show Dr. Quinn, Medicine WomanDr. Quinn, Medicine WomanDr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
- Michaela White in TV show Waterloo RoadWaterloo Road (TV series)Waterloo Road is an award-winning British television drama series, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the series focuses on the lives of the school's teacher and students, and confronts social...
- Mikaela BanesMikaela BanesMikaela Banes is a fictional character from the Transformers universe. She is differentiated from "typical" women in her age group, having inherited mechanical skills from her father, Cal, a grease monkey and paroled car thief...
in movie TransformersTransformersA transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
Uses in popular culture
- ″Michaela″, 1999 German song by Element Crime
- "Michaela", 1972 German song by Bata Illic
- "Michaela", 2003 Hebrew song by Ron Shuval and Yoav Itzhak
- Michaela, 2004 Israeli television series (מיכאלה)
Sources
- Michaela at "Behind the Name"
- Duden: Lexikon der Vornamen. 2004.