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Michel Family History

Michel Surname Meaning

French Walloon German Dutch West Indian (mainly Haiti) Seychellois and Mauritian: from the personal name Michel (see Michael). Basque: Castilianized form of Mitxel from the personal name Mitxel an equivalent of Michael.

Polish: from a variant of the personal name Michał (see Michael). Germanized form of Sorbian Michał Czech and Slovak Michal ‘Michael’.

English and Scottish: variant of Mitchell. American shortened form of Greek patronymics from the personal name Michael e.g. Michelakis Michelakakis or Michelakos.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Michel family from?

You can see how Michel families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Michel family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Michel families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 419 Michel families living in Quebec. This was about 59% of all the recorded Michel's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Michel families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Michel surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Michel ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Servant were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Michel. 26% of Michel men worked as a Farmer and 46% of Michel women worked as a Servant. Some less common occupations for Americans named Michel were Labourer and Stenographer.

View Census Data for Michel | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    26%
  • Cultivateur
    18%
  • Journalier
    14%
  • Labourer
    13%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Servant
    46%
  • Servante
    28%
  • Stenographer
    28%

What Michel family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 100,000 census records available for the last name Michel. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Michel census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Michel

Passenger Lists

There are 32,000 immigration records available for the last name Michel. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Michel immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 25,000 military records available for the last name Michel. For the veterans among your Michel ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Michel military records

You've only scratched the surface of Michel family history

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What is the average Michel lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Michel life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Michel in 1940 was 49, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Michel

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Michel ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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