Mickle
A surname from an old word meaning “big” or “great,” often first used as a nickname.
The #7,983 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,558 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mickle comes from an old Germanic word meaning “big” or “great,” seen in Old English micel and Old Norse mikill. In Scots and northern English use, it survived as a common word for size or extent, and it was also used as a byname for someone large or imposing. In some related surnames, the same element appears in compounds such as Micklejohn, literally “Big John.”
History
The name is well attested in medieval and later northern Britain, especially in Scotland and northern England. It also appears in local surnames and place-based forms, such as references to Micklethwaite and Mickleham. Some old surname dictionaries note that not every similar-looking name is the same origin, since Michael-based forms could overlap in spelling.
Origin
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Fun fact
The word survives today in older literary phrases like “mickle might,” meaning great power.
From the historical record
“MICKELl (Eng. and Scand.) Big, Great MICKLE f [O.E. micel = O.N. mikilf] For the eldridge knighte, so mickle of mighte. — Sir Cauline, 63. MICKLEJOHN (Teut.-Heb.) Big John [O.E. micel = O.N. mikill, big + John, q.v.] M ICKLEM for Mickleham (Eng.) Dweller at the Big Enclosure [O.E. jB!c?;, big + ham{m,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)