Michelle

Michelle arrived in America wrapped in French sophistication, a feminine form of Michel echoing the Hebrew question who is like God. It crested in the 1970s, buoyed partly by the Beatles ballad that made the name sound like a whispered secret across a darkened room. Today it settles into a quieter register, ranked in the 400s, worn by women who helped shape a generation, from a First Lady to Pfeiffer to Obama. There is a composed warmth to Michelle, the soft sh and the clear bell of its final syllable. It feels confident without pageantry, classic without costume.