Mikeal is of Scandinavian origin, derived from the Old Norse name Mikjál, which was introduced to Europe through the influence of early Christian saints' names. It means "who is like God?" or "God is like that," suggesting divine comparisons. The name Mikeal gained popularity in Scandinavia and has since spread worldwide, though it remains relatively uncommon outside its regions of origin.
Mikeal saw its peak popularity during the mid-50s to late 60s with a significant spike in births occurring each year from 1947 to 1969, reaching as high as 60 births in 1952. However, popularity has been declining since the early 70s, dropping below 30 births per year consistently after 1980. In recent years, Mikeal is quite rare with fewer than 15 births each year from 2014 onwards, reaching a new low of just 6 births in both 2021 and 2023. Overall, there have been 2373 births with this name since 1921.