(male) English form of a common biblical name (meaning ‘who is like God?’ in Hebrew) borne by one of the archangels, the protector of the ancient Hebrews, who is also regarded as a saint of the Catholic Church. In the Middle Ages, Michael was regarded as captain of the heavenly host (see Revelation 12:7–9), symbol of the Church Militant, and patron of soldiers. He was often depicted bearing a flaming sword. The name is also borne by a Persian prince and ally of Belshazzar mentioned in the Book of Daniel. Since the early 1900s it has been one of the most enduringly popular boys' names in the English-speaking world. See also Michal.
Cognates: Irish: Mícheál. Scottish Gaelic: Mìcheal. Welsh: Meical, Mihangel. German: Michael. Dutch: Michaël, Machiel. Scandinavian: Mikael. Danish, Norwegian: Mikkel. French: Michel. Spanish, Portuguese: Miguel. Catalan: Miquel. Italian: Michele. Russian: Mikhail. Polish: Michał. Czech: Michal. Croatian: Mihovil. Serbian: Mihajlo. Slovenian: Mihael. Finnish: Mikko. Hungarian: Mihály.
Short forms: Mike, Mick.
Pet forms: Mick(e)y, Mikey.
English: topographic name for someone who lived by a grove or thicket, Middle English grove, Old English grāf.
English (Huguenot): Americanized spelling of the French surname Le Grou(x) or Le Greux (see Groulx).
North German form of Grob.
North German: habitational name from any of several places named Grove or Groven in Schleswig-Holstein, which derive their name from Middle Low Germany grōve ‘ditch’, ‘channel’. In some cases the name is a Dutch or Low German form of Grube.
Altered form of German Graf.
FOREBEARS The surnames Grove and Groves are common mainly in the West Midlands. A Huguenot family who acquired the name Grove are descended from a certain Isaac Le Greux or Grou(x) or his brother. They fled from Tours in France in the late 17th century and settled in Spitalfields, London. Their children were known as Grou(x) or Grove; their grandchildren also used the form Grew; but their great-grandchildren, born at the end of the 18th century, were universally Grove.
