Micheal instead of Michael

[LaLaMelyn]

In our local FB group for a not-very-big town, there are three Micheals.

Have I been living under a rock and it's actually an old alternative spelling of Michael? Do we have an unusually high concentration of Micheals in our area? Until I moved here I'd never seen anyone spell it that way deliberately!

I think it's the Irish spelling, I once knew someone who spelled it this way but it had a different pronunciation, more like mee-hal. Could just be a spelling mistakes though!

I don’t think it’s particularly unusual, I know 2 eals and 3 aels

Micheál is an Irish name.

Irish spelling.

It's an Irish name - pronounced Me-haul.

It's Irish. MEEhawl Martin is the Taoiseach atm.

It’s the Irish equivalent- pronounced Mee-hawl, but it’s still missing a fáda!

The Taoiseach is Michéal Martin.

I didn’t know it was an Irish spelling, I’d just think it was a typo. Learn something new everyday.

The Taoiseach is Michéal Martin.

He's not, his fada is over the a (I think it varies, I've met other people writing their name as Michéal).

Agree it's an Irish spelling, however it could just be their parents having spelt it wrong on their birth certificate! I've never personally known a Micheal.

My name is Micheala…. my mum spelt it wrong

Oh interesting, I had no idea it was an Irish spelling and this is not an area with a large Irish population. None of them have the fada though.