Mick Jagger's Real Name: Michael Philip Jagger

Quick answer: Mick Jagger's full name is Michael Philip Jagger, and Mick is a nickname for Michael. He was born on July 26, 1943, in Dartford, Kent, England. As lead singer of the Rolling Stones, he co-wrote most of the band's songs with Keith Richards, and he has also released solo albums and acted in films (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

Britannica's quick facts give his name "in full" as Michael Philip Jagger. The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Jagger, Mick" and lists "Jagger, Michael Philip" as a variant. It cites "b. Michael Philip Jagger, July 26, 1943, Dartford, Kent, England." Another LOC citation styles him "Sir Michael Philip 'Mick' Jagger."

Britannica says he is the eldest child of Basil "Joe" Jagger, a physical education teacher, and Eva (née Scutts) Jagger, a homemaker. He met Keith Richards at Wentworth Primary School in Dartford in 1951. They lost touch when Jagger moved to Dartford Grammar School and his family moved to Wilmington. He sang in a church choir, loved American blues by Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, and took up guitar by 14. In 1960 he became lead singer of Little Boy Blue and the Blues Boys. He met Richards again by chance at a Kent train station in 1961, while studying at the London School of Economics.

Career highlights

Jagger and Richards formed the Rolling Stones in 1962 with Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, and Bill Wyman. "The Last Time" was a Jagger-Richards top 10 hit in the U.S., and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965) became the band's first American No. 1. His restless stage presence became famous enough to inspire Maroon 5's 2011 hit "Moves Like Jagger."

Britannica singles out Beggars Banquet (1968), Let It Bleed (1969), Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!, Sticky Fingers (1971), and Exile on Main St. (1972) as the band's most enduring albums. Songs from that era include "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk Women," "Street Fighting Man," and "Gimme Shelter." The era also brought drug arrests, Brian Jones's 1969 death, and tax exile in France. "Start Me Up" (1981) was their last U.S. top 3 hit, but the Stones kept touring worldwide.

His solo albums include Primitive Cool (1987), after which he rejoined the band. The Stones' Hackney Diamonds (2023) won the Grammy for best rock album, and Britannica reports that the band followed it with Foreign Tongues in 2026. In 2011 Rolling Stone ranked him the fourth-best lead singer of all time.

Name notes for searchers

Mick is the familiar form of Michael, and Philip is his middle name. Jagger is his family surname, and he has never used another stage name. LOC records him with the honorific "Sir."