What does Micah mean?
Micah means “who is like Yahweh?” It is a shortened form of the Hebrew name Micaiah, combining a question word, an element meaning “like,” and a reference to God.
The name is best known through the biblical prophet Micah. Its English use reaches back to the period after the Protestant Reformation, although its greatest American popularity has come much more recently.
The Hebrew name behind Micah
Micaiah combines Hebrew mi, “who,” with ke, “like,” and yah, referring to Yahweh. Micah contracts the longer name while preserving its question-shaped meaning.
It shares that type of construction with several biblical names that express a statement or question about God. The familiar English spelling has two syllables, while Micaiah has a longer spoken form.
The Bible contains more than one person called Micah. Alongside the prophet, a separate Micah appears in Judges as the owner of a shrine. The shared name does not make them the same biblical figure.
Micah of Moresheth
The prophet associated with the Book of Micah came from Moresheth, a village in the Judean foothills. The book places his activity during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
A contemporary of Isaiah, Micah speaks from a rural background while addressing the leadership of Jerusalem. The book criticizes corrupt leaders and the misuse of wealth, linking the fate of the community with the way people treat one another.
Its movement between warnings and promises gives it a wider emotional range than judgment alone. Passages about punishment stand beside visions of restoration and peace.
A lasting biblical association
One of the book's most familiar passages describes a life shaped by justice, goodness, and humility before God. These themes have made Micah recognizable to readers beyond a simple list of biblical names.
The prophetic book gives the first name a connection with public responsibility and the demand for fair treatment. That association comes from the text and its central figure, alongside the older Hebrew question contained in the name itself.
English-speaking Puritans occasionally used Micah after the Reformation. Its much later American rise shows how a name with an ancient textual history can become more widely familiar in modern naming.
Pronunciation and related forms
Micah is pronounced MY-kuh in English, with stress on the first syllable. Its opening sounds like the word my, followed by a light second syllable.
Micaiah is the longer historical form. Micha is a related spelling used in languages including German and Dutch, while Miqueias is a Portuguese form.
Micah in the United States
For American boys, Micah's highest annual count was 3,969 in 2022. Its best national rank was No. 86 in 2024, and it ranked No. 90 in 2025. Girls have also received the name: it ranked No. 909 for American girls in 2025.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Meaning and history draw on the references below. American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling; counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.
How popular is Micah?
In 2025, Micah ranked #90 among boys in the United States, with 3,817 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1946; its largest annual count was 3,969 in 2022. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.