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Name at a glance

Micah

Micah is a Hebrew name meaning who is like the LORD?

Ranked #90 in US baby names in 2025, stable over the past 5 years.

Micah is remembered as a prophet whose book speaks of justice, mercy, humility, judgment, and hope.

Browse namesRead Micah's story
OriginHebrew
GenderBoy
FeelProphetic
PronunciationMY-kuh

Is Micah biblical?

Yes

Biblical status Direct biblical person

Micah is a named person in Scripture, an eighth-century BC prophet of Judah whose book is the source of Micah 6:8 and the Bethlehem prophecy.

Is Micah a Christian name?

Used by Christians, not distinctively

Christian tradition Christian cultural usage

Micah's Christian use as a name is largely a modern biblical-revival, supported by theological resonance and a minor-prophet feast in Orthodox and Catholic calendars.

Plain answer

Micah is a biblical prophet's name whose Christian standing today rests mainly on modern biblical-name revival rather than a deep church-naming tradition.

Confidence Moderate Last reviewed July 19, 2026 How this works

Meaning

The meaning of Micah

Micah is a shortened form of a question-name meaning who is like the LORD? The meaning itself is a confession that no one compares with God.

Name story

A prophetic question

Micah's name is a question that functions like worship. It asks who is like the LORD and expects the answer: no one.

The book of Micah is often remembered for its call to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Christian reading

Justice, mercy, and Bethlehem hope

Micah matters to Christians not only because of Micah 6:8 but also because of the Bethlehem prophecy read in connection with the Messiah.

As a name, Micah feels concise, modern, and deeply biblical.

Sound

How to pronounce Micah

Phonetic
MY-kuh
IPA
/ˈmaɪkə/

2 syllables · stress: MY-kuh · ends in a vowel

Forms

Variants and nicknames

Alternate spellings

  • Micaiah
  • Mikah
  • Mika
  • Mikha

Short forms and nicknames

  • Mick

Languages

Micah in other languages

Hebrew
מִיכָהMikhah
Greek
ΜιχαίαςMichaias
Latin
Michaeas
Spanish
Miqueas
French
Michée
German
Micha
Italian
Michea
Russian
МихейMikhey

Christian background

Christian and biblical background

Micah has strong Christian resonance through its moral call to justice and mercy and through prophetic hope connected with Bethlehem. For more on prophet names in the Bible and the prophetic tradition, see Biblical prophet names.

Scripture

The biblical figure

Micah is an Old Testament prophet whose book addresses judgment, corruption, restoration, and humble faithfulness.

Read the full story of Micah in the Bible

Bearers

Notable people named Micah

  • biblical

    MicahEighth-century BC prophet from the village of Moresheth whose book is famous for the line do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God

  • historical

    Micah ben JosephTenth-century Yemeni rabbinic poet

  • modern

    Micah ParsonsAmerican football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, born 1999

  • modern

    Micah HydeAmerican football safety, born 1990

Saint

Holy Prophet Micah

Traditions
Orthodox, Catholic

Naming history

Naming tradition and history

Micah has become one of the more established biblical boys' names in modern American use. In the 2025 SSA data Micah ranks #90 for boys, inside the Top 100, with sustained current use and steady presence since the 1980s. Micah also has meaningful cross-gender usage in current American naming (at #909 in 2025 SSA girls' names data), reflecting broader adoption of Hebrew biblical names across genders in recent decades. The name reads softer than Michael but shares the same rhetorical-question theological structure, with Yah in place of El.

Recent US use

Micah in recent US use

Rank in 2025
#90
Peak rank
#86 in 2024
Recent trend
stable over the last 5 years
Years in the SSA records
79 (since 1946)

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880-2025.

Across genders

Use across genders

Micah is primarily used as a boys' name in modern American naming, but also appears in the SSA girls' records, ranked around 909 in the 2025 data. The cross-gender use has been consistent in recent decades, partly because the name's short two-syllable sound reads soft enough to work across both genders.

Sibling fit

Sibling name suggestions

Phonetic neighbours

Names that sound similar to Micah

  • Jonah · Both two-syllable Hebrew Bible names with the same closing -ah ending; the initial M vs J is the main consonant difference.
  • Noah · Both two-syllable Hebrew Bible names ending in the soft -ah sound; similar gentle rhythm in modern English use.

For families

For families looking at Micah

Micah may suit families who want a short biblical boy name with justice, mercy, humility, and worship woven into its meaning.

Common questions

What does Micah mean?

Micah means who is like the LORD?

Is Micah a biblical name?

Yes. Micah is an Old Testament prophet.

What is Micah known for?

Micah is often remembered for Micah 6:8 and for prophetic hope connected with Bethlehem.

Sources

Sources for Micah

  • A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Brown, Driver, and BriggsSupports: Hebrew etymology (who is like the LORD?); meaning.
  • The Book of Micah, King James Version (KJV 1769)Supports: biblical figure (eighth-century BC prophet); Micah 6:8.
  • The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, David Hugh Farmer (5th edition)Supports: Holy Prophet Micah (Orthodox and Catholic); feast day (August 14).
  • National baby names data, US Social Security Administration (2025 release)Supports: US popularity.

Last reviewed July 19, 2026. See our methodology, or report an error on the corrections page.

Read next

Related names

IsaiahBoth prophesied in the eighth century BC in Judah; Micah and Isaiah are contemporaries and share imagery (Micah 4:1-3 parallels Isaiah 2:2-4).JoelBoth are minor prophets with short books and direct theological claims as their names; Joel ('the LORD is God'), Micah ('who is like the LORD?').JonahBoth prophesied during overlapping reigns in the eighth century BC; Jonah under Jeroboam II of Israel, Micah under Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.MichaelBoth Hebrew names ask the same rhetorical question, 'who is like [God]?' Micah from Mi-ka-Yah (with Yah, short form of Yahweh); Michael from Mi-ka-El (with El, 'God'). Different divine names, same expected answer of 'no one.'AmosBoth are 8th-century BC minor prophets and near-contemporaries. Amos prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel from a Judean base; Micah prophesied in Judah itself. Both share the social-justice focus against the ruling classes of their respective kingdoms.MalachiBoth are minor prophets in the Book of the Twelve. Micah 8th century BC in Judah; Malachi 5th century BC post-exilic. The two book together span the classical prophetic era.