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[This may seem similar to another question, but it is completely different. This other question is about nicknames for Michelangelo. The question here is trying to understand the history of the name Michelangelo, itself.]

In a few hours, I will most likely have a son. We're pretty sure we know his name, but digging through family history we've found many different spellings of the name going back 230 years. Particularly as it goes back to places where there is less literacy, the same person has different spellings on different records.

What are other Italian spellings/versions of Michelangelo? I'd like to understand both the modern and archaic versions before we make a choice. So far I've seen:

  • Michelangelo
  • Michelearcangelo
  • Michele Angelo
  • Michele Archangelo
  • Michêle Archangelo

What are other versions?

Thanks!

PS That last one with the French character is very confusing to us. It is from 1784. We don't know if it was an overzealous French priest, a tribute to Napoleon, or something else.

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  • The version with the circumflex accent (^) and those with “ch” seem non-native, a failed attempt to write the name by a foreigner. As for “Michelearcangelo” (and variants), I'd say it is not a variant of the name, but a different, and very uncommon, name altogether, since archangels are different creatures from angels.
    – DaG
    Dec 22, 2016 at 20:42
  • @DaG: However, this and other sites claim that Michelangelo refers to the archangel Michael.
    – Charo ♦
    Dec 23, 2016 at 10:28

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