Michael

#7,885 for girls in 2025, 13 births · #21 for boys in 2025, 8,094 births
Given to boys 99.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1957 · 92,781 births
Debut · boys
354 births
In top 100 · boys
146 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
4,426,753
since 1880

Michael over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201917peak #1, 1957boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#7,88513#218,094
2024#6,93216#188,229
2023#5,96020#168,430
2022#6,22919#168,895
2021#4,83327#179,150
2020#5,16824#129,833
2019#4,26033#1410,619
2018#6,01020#1411,756
2017#4,22034#1212,726
2016#4,25034#814,145
2015#4,06936#914,504
2014#4,17835#715,505
2013#3,84939#715,544
2012#5,11427#716,211
2011#4,07236#616,823
2010#4,02337#317,387
2009#3,56145#318,964
2008#3,08455#220,652
2007#3,24752#222,027
2006#2,75764#222,653
2005#2,73161#223,828
2004#1,404148#225,470
2003#1,92594#227,129
2002#1,86695#228,258
2001#1,83396#229,689
2000#1,558114#232,045
1999#1,422123#233,915
1998#1,359128#136,618
1997#1,249142#137,562
1996#1,155157#138,373
1995#1,067167#141,409
1994#965192#144,477
1993#870223#149,571
1992#789258#154,410
1991#769267#160,810
1990#747277#165,321
1989#594363#165,415
1988#472480#164,171
1987#410544#163,664
1986#392590#164,235
1985#419531#164,934
1984#419508#167,735
1983#385577#168,004
1982#403576#168,216
1981#439487#168,750
1980#409546#168,683
1979#393554#167,713
1978#384545#167,127
1977#378560#167,587
1976#398515#166,915
1975#373557#168,418
1974#392525#167,534
1973#431451#167,797
1972#431452#171,393
1971#448459#177,577
1970#461457#185,266
1969#449459#185,162
1968#440471#181,968
1967#494373#182,411
1966#509346#179,985
1965#504355#180,992
1964#565303#182,617
1963#501376#183,771
1962#519356#185,059
1961#546324#186,974
1960#547316#284,153
1959#587285#185,294
1958#572295#190,604
1957#611255#192,781
1956#620238#190,691
1955#577250#188,355
1954#616217#188,568
1953#581232#384,198
1952#644190#479,037
1951#668172#472,807
1950#640179#465,136
1949#602188#560,047
1948#637170#652,566
1947#635173#750,506
1946#611169#741,194
1945#583158#929,902
1944#562168#926,717
1943#550188#1024,745
1942#593156#1321,728
1941#71397#1615,935
1940#79080#1813,228
1939#76381#1810,828
1938#93158#219,077
1937#1,03547#277,094
1936#1,11540#335,800
1935#1,26432#414,906
1934#1,69720#474,108
1933#1,44226#533,549
1932#1,75420#543,607
1931#1,54924#553,489
1930#1,25136#543,543
1929#1,30633#543,464
1928#1,33833#533,598
1927#1,52329#523,605
1926#1,41432#563,485
1925#1,37634#553,761
1924#1,35436#543,874
1923#1,52029#503,915
1922#1,46431#483,990
1921#1,76524#474,198
1920#1,81622#504,003
1919#1,64924#463,909
1918#1,41130#454,296
1917#2,55212#444,288
1916#1,86718#444,210
1915#2,14314#434,079
1914#1,66516#403,362
1913#1,76612#402,607
1912#2,1448#422,104
1911#1,9567#381,159
1910#1,6349#45844
1909#1,7637#47635
1908—#44688
1907—#48586
1906#1,9515#46531
1905—#45513
1904—#50462
1903—#47466
1902—#48460
1901—#52384
1900—#51495
1899—#51375
1898—#51434
1897#1,2637#57368
1896—#53399
1895—#52413
1894—#50423
1893—#49407
1892—#59380
1891—#54333
1890—#48394
1889—#51377
1888—#46466
1887—#48344
1886—#53348
1885—#46370
1884—#51373
1883—#55307
1882—#57321
1881—#54298
1880—#46354
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Michael was already there! It came in at #46, and was given to 354 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1887, when fewer than 380 boys a year got the name.

Where Michael is popular in 1917

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedAKMaine: #85 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 373 boysMEVermont: #58 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 222 boysVTNew Hampshire: #61 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 248 boysNHWashington: #121 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 637 boysWAIdaho: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedIDMontana: #115 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 600 boysMTNorth Dakota: #108 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 472 boysNDMinnesota: #93 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 411 boysMNIllinois: #46 for boys · 250 births · 1 in 200 boysILWisconsin: #84 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 365 boysWIMichigan: #64 for boys · 97 births · 1 in 303 boysMINew York: #16 for boys · 1,077 births · 1 in 79 boysNYMassachusetts: #27 for boys · 251 births · 1 in 121 boysMARhode Island: #24 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 100 boysRIOregon: #119 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 650 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #181 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 1,070 boysSDIowa: #129 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 685 boysIAIndiana: #84 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 440 boysINOhio: #40 for boys · 219 births · 1 in 199 boysOHPennsylvania: #14 for boys · 1,099 births · 1 in 71 boysPANew Jersey: #13 for boys · 463 births · 1 in 56 boysNJConnecticut: #12 for boys · 231 births · 1 in 55 boysCTCalifornia: #99 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 595 boysCAUtah: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedUTColorado: #107 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 480 boysCONebraska: #116 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 601 boysNEMissouri: #121 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 719 boysMOKentucky: #244 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 1,990 boysKYWest Virginia: #81 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 401 boysWVVirginia: #319 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 3,287 boysVAMaryland: #72 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 366 boysMDDelaware: #44 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 179 boysDEArizona: #131 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 539 boysAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedNMKansas: #185 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 1,245 boysKSArkansas: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedARTennessee: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedTNNorth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: #63 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 311 boysDCOklahoma: #295 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 2,375 boysOKLouisiana: #194 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 1,009 boysLAMississippi: #369 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 3,202 boysMSAlabama: #343 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 2,891 boysALGeorgia: fewer than 5 boys named Michael, so not publishedGAHawaii: #90 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 347 boysHITexas: #378 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 2,831 boysTXFlorida: #178 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 977 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Connecticut#12 · 1 in 55
  2. New Jersey#13 · 1 in 56
  3. Pennsylvania#14 · 1 in 71
  4. New York#16 · 1 in 79
  5. Rhode Island#24 · 1 in 100

Best ever in a state: #1 in Hawaii, 1948.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Connecticut#122311 in 55
New Jersey#134631 in 56
Pennsylvania#141,0991 in 71
New York#161,0771 in 79
Rhode Island#24441 in 100
Massachusetts#272511 in 121
Ohio#402191 in 199
Delaware#4481 in 179
Illinois#462501 in 200
Vermont#5891 in 222
New Hampshire#61111 in 248
District of Columbia#6371 in 311
Michigan#64971 in 303
Maryland#72291 in 366
West Virginia#81301 in 401
Indiana#84481 in 440
Wisconsin#84571 in 365
Maine#85141 in 373
Hawaii#9061 in 347
Minnesota#93461 in 411
California#99321 in 595
Colorado#107141 in 480
North Dakota#108141 in 472
Montana#11591 in 600
Nebraska#116181 in 601
Oregon#11971 in 650
Missouri#121341 in 719
Washington#121121 in 637
Iowa#129271 in 685
Arizona#13151 in 539
Florida#17881 in 977
South Dakota#18151 in 1,070
Kansas#185111 in 1,245
Louisiana#194151 in 1,009
Kentucky#244101 in 1,990
Oklahoma#29571 in 2,375
Virginia#31961 in 3,287
Alabama#34371 in 2,891
Mississippi#36951 in 3,202
Texas#378141 in 2,831
Alaska———
Arkansas———
Georgia———
Idaho———
Nevada———
New Mexico———
North Carolina———
South Carolina———
Tennessee———
Utah———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Michael
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 3 spots since 2024 (#18 → #21)
  • 9 spots since 2020 (#12 → #21)
  • 12 spots since 2015 (#9 → #21)
  • Biggest jump: 10 spots in 1893 (#59 → #49)
  • Biggest drop: 8 spots in 1881 (#46 → #54)
Rise & fade · boys
77 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1957 at #1 (92,781 births)
  • Births halved by 1994, 37 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 10 for 74 yrs
  • Top 10: 74 yrs · run 1943–2016
  • Top 100: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 21
  • Highest: 1 in 21 boys born in 1969 were named Michael (4.8%)
  • Latest: 1 in 211 boys born in 2025 (0.47%)
  • Its best rank, #1 in 1957, was only 1 in 23 (4.3%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 18.9% of all boys named Michael (837,471) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s3,558#46 (1888)#51
1890s3,926#48 (1890)#52
1900s5,220#44 (1908)#48
1910s30,858#38 (1911)#43
1920s37,893#47 (1921)#52
1930s56,001#18 (1939)#40
1940s336,568#5 (1949)#10
1950s837,471#1 (1957)#2
1960s833,092#1 (1961)#1
1970s707,327#1 (1970)#1
1980s663,807#1 (1981)#1
1990s462,466#1 (1990)#1
2000s250,715#2 (2000)#2
2010s145,220#3 (2010)#9
2020s52,631#12 (2020)#17

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Michael in 1917

girls
#2,552
12 births · 1 in 90,106 girls
boys
#44
4,288 births · 1 in 216 boys

Top girls' names in 1917

  1. #1Mary64,280
  2. #2Helen34,251
  3. #3Dorothy28,852
  4. #4Margaret25,560
  5. #5Ruth23,568
  6. #6Mildred16,256
  7. #7Anna15,160
  8. #8Elizabeth15,131
  9. #9Frances14,363
  10. #10Virginia14,261
  11. #2,552Michael12

Top boys' names in 1917

  1. #1John51,852
  2. #2William42,422
  3. #3James37,337
  4. #4Robert35,220
  5. #5Joseph24,761
  6. #6George24,196
  7. #7Charles24,143
  8. #8Edward17,501
  9. #9Frank15,768
  10. #10Thomas12,611
  11. #44Michael4,288
More about 1917

girls

1,081,267 girls got a published name in 1917; 1 in 90,106 of them was named Michael, which outranked 51.9% of the 5,310 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #2,428Wilsie13
  2. #2,428Woodie13
  3. #2,428Wynell13
  4. #2,552Michael12
  5. #2,552Adrianna12
  6. #2,552Akiko12
  7. #2,552Aldean12
  8. #2,693Abby11
  9. #2,693Adair11
  10. #2,693Albertia11

Tied with 140 names at #2,552; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1916
Risers
  1. ↑ 549Georgene#1,445 → #896
  2. ↑ 380Ottie#1,332 → #952
  3. ↑ 365Louis#1,298 → #933
  4. ↑ 334Valentine#1,298 → #964
  5. ↑ 322Harold#1,210 → #888
Fallers
  1. ↓ 401Ceola#840 → #1,241
  2. ↓ 373Floretta#964 → #1,337
  3. ↓ 344Buelah#993 → #1,337
  4. ↓ 326Glennie#915 → #1,241
  5. ↓ 290Maye#915 → #1,205

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

925,482 boys got a published name in 1917; 1 in 216 of them was named Michael, which outranked 99.0% of the 4,602 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #41Leonard4,694
  2. #42Samuel4,490
  3. #43Alfred4,424
  4. #44Michael4,288
  5. #45Elmer3,812
  6. #46Norman3,788
  7. #47Leo3,779
Biggest movers since 1916
Risers
  1. ↑ 520Nicolas#1,304 → #784
  2. ↑ 469Hezekiah#1,415 → #946
  3. ↑ 433Hilliard#1,415 → #982
  4. ↑ 404Rayford#1,304 → #900
  5. ↑ 338Minoru#1,335 → #997
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,738Tatsuo#824 → #2,562
  2. ↓ 709Berlin#984 → #1,693
  3. ↓ 556Prentice#972 → #1,528
  4. ↓ 473Manning#964 → #1,437
  5. ↓ 457Lovell#939 → #1,396

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1917 →