Michal 2

Michal is a beautiful name. I don’t know much about the Hebrew pronunciation, but I have read that it is a very common female name in Israel. My parents (American) decided to name my sister Michal (after our Dad, Michael). It was unusual at the time and still is. Her name is pronounced just like the male version. I think my sister has always loved her name and it fits her personality somehow. She named her second daughter Maci Michal.

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Even if this name technically means “brook,” we’ve always just attributed the “Who is like God?” meaning to it because Michal was named after a Michael. The female character of Michal in the Old Testament definitely isn’t the most likable, but she isn’t the worst either. The Bible is full of complex and flawed people (King David, Michal’s husband, has a worse rap sheet than she does, honestly). So I don’t think the Biblical Michal’s story is any reason to dislike or avoid using this name.

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For those thinking of using this name, it is worth considering that your child will get some funny looks and a few people mistaking it for EVERY other name with an M. People called my sister Micah or Michelle all the time. Or assumed that she was male. However, while this might have been frustrating, I don’t think it has bothered her much and she really values having a unique name.

I am a woman (68 yrs old) named Michael. Everyone is always telling me they think Michael is a great name for a woman. When my mother was pregnant with me the doctor kept insisting that she was expecting a boy. When I arrived she used Michal in the Bible for a source of reference as she was a woman. She had chosen my name and did not want to change it. I grew up with a nickname which was awful...a name that nobody uses anymore. I started using my original name (Michael) when I was 18 yrs old.
My middle name is Howard from my grandfather. I have already met one woman whose middle name is Fitzgerald.

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If a woman wishes to use her given name I see no reason why she should change her name to please other people.

Love! So tender and delightful.

Michal or Michael, doesn't matter. This is a male's name only.

I find the name Michal a refreshing alternative to Michael, a name that has been overused and has become commonplace, in my opinion. I like it because it makes me feel more unique and so I have dropped the "e" from my name to be Michal. It's okay if it is either feminine or masculine.

This is my name. It is a female name pronounced Mee-khal in Hebrew. I've always been told it means "who is like G-d", which is what it says in my parent's Hebrew name dictionary.

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To those thinking of giving this name to your daughter - please think twice. Every 1st day of school I was embarrassed when teachers called "Michael". Other kids laughed. I am in my 20's and people are always asking me for a nickname because they can't properly pronounce my name. My boyfriend of several years can't even pronounce it right. While I have no intention of changing it, I wish my parents had thought of this before they named me. Unless you live in a very heavily Jewish community, it's not the easiest name for a girl to live with.

I think Michal is a great name for a girl/woman. It may sound like Michael, but Michal is a woman's name in the bible. It's one of those names that has always been a female name, but sounds masculine for those who like tomboyish sounding names for girls.

I plan on naming a girl Michal. And by the way, in the Hebrew, it can't mean "Who is like God" because it's lacking the "el" element. El means God in Hebrew (El Shaddai, El Elyon, etc.), and is a prefix or suffix of many names (Daniel, Michael, Nathanael, Israel, Elijah, etc.). Michal is more likely to mean brook (also an English name when spelled Brooke) or wadi.

I absolutely love this name. If I have a daughter I think I'll name her Michal. It's so unique and beautiful. I could go on and on about it. One of my favourite names.

This is my name and I really like having it. I pronounce it like Michael (though it can also be pronounced Meekal). It's fun to see people's reactions when they meet a girl with what they think it a man's name. Definitely unique. I know of only one other person with the same name.