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
#1
1957 · 92,781 births
Debut · boys
1880
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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201972peak #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 1972

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #1 for boys · 146 births · 1 in 18 boysAKMaine: #2 for boys · 322 births · 1 in 23 boysMEVermont: #3 for boys · 121 births · 1 in 25 boysVTNew Hampshire: #2 for boys · 257 births · 1 in 20 boysNHWashington: #1 for boys · 938 births · 1 in 23 boysWAIdaho: #2 for boys · 224 births · 1 in 26 boysIDMontana: #1 for boys · 217 births · 1 in 21 boysMTNorth Dakota: #2 for boys · 197 births · 1 in 23 boysNDMinnesota: #2 for boys · 1,118 births · 1 in 24 boysMNIllinois: #1 for boys · 4,051 births · 1 in 20 boysILWisconsin: #1 for boys · 1,390 births · 1 in 22 boysWIMichigan: #1 for boys · 3,246 births · 1 in 21 boysMINew York: #1 for boys · 6,254 births · 1 in 19 boysNYMassachusetts: #1 for boys · 2,224 births · 1 in 17 boysMARhode Island: #1 for boys · 404 births · 1 in 15 boysRIOregon: #2 for boys · 631 births · 1 in 23 boysORNevada: #1 for boys · 214 births · 1 in 16 boysNVWyoming: #1 for boys · 113 births · 1 in 19 boysWYSouth Dakota: #2 for boys · 207 births · 1 in 21 boysSDIowa: #2 for boys · 828 births · 1 in 23 boysIAIndiana: #1 for boys · 1,946 births · 1 in 21 boysINOhio: #1 for boys · 3,941 births · 1 in 21 boysOHPennsylvania: #1 for boys · 4,182 births · 1 in 19 boysPANew Jersey: #1 for boys · 2,564 births · 1 in 18 boysNJConnecticut: #1 for boys · 965 births · 1 in 18 boysCTCalifornia: #1 for boys · 6,346 births · 1 in 24 boysCAUtah: #1 for boys · 515 births · 1 in 24 boysUTColorado: #1 for boys · 826 births · 1 in 22 boysCONebraska: #1 for boys · 479 births · 1 in 23 boysNEMissouri: #1 for boys · 1,656 births · 1 in 21 boysMOKentucky: #2 for boys · 1,191 births · 1 in 22 boysKYWest Virginia: #1 for boys · 717 births · 1 in 19 boysWVVirginia: #1 for boys · 1,634 births · 1 in 20 boysVAMaryland: #1 for boys · 1,226 births · 1 in 19 boysMDDelaware: #1 for boys · 191 births · 1 in 19 boysDEArizona: #1 for boys · 800 births · 1 in 21 boysAZNew Mexico: #1 for boys · 369 births · 1 in 24 boysNMKansas: #1 for boys · 611 births · 1 in 23 boysKSArkansas: #1 for boys · 708 births · 1 in 21 boysARTennessee: #1 for boys · 1,497 births · 1 in 21 boysTNNorth Carolina: #1 for boys · 1,934 births · 1 in 22 boysNCSouth Carolina: #2 for boys · 982 births · 1 in 22 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #1 for boys · 480 births · 1 in 19 boysDCOklahoma: #1 for boys · 927 births · 1 in 20 boysOKLouisiana: #1 for boys · 1,159 births · 1 in 27 boysLAMississippi: #2 for boys · 810 births · 1 in 25 boysMSAlabama: #1 for boys · 1,226 births · 1 in 23 boysALGeorgia: #1 for boys · 1,852 births · 1 in 22 boysGAHawaii: #1 for boys · 234 births · 1 in 26 boysHITexas: #1 for boys · 3,963 births · 1 in 27 boysTXFlorida: #1 for boys · 2,360 births · 1 in 21 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Rhode Island#1 · 1 in 15
  2. Nevada#1 · 1 in 16
  3. Massachusetts#1 · 1 in 17
  4. New Jersey#1 · 1 in 18
  5. Alaska#1 · 1 in 18

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alabama#11,2261 in 23
Alaska#11461 in 18
Arizona#18001 in 21
Arkansas#17081 in 21
California#16,3461 in 24
Colorado#18261 in 22
Connecticut#19651 in 18
Delaware#11911 in 19
District of Columbia#14801 in 19
Florida#12,3601 in 21
Georgia#11,8521 in 22
Hawaii#12341 in 26
Illinois#14,0511 in 20
Indiana#11,9461 in 21
Kansas#16111 in 23
Louisiana#11,1591 in 27
Maryland#11,2261 in 19
Massachusetts#12,2241 in 17
Michigan#13,2461 in 21
Missouri#11,6561 in 21
Montana#12171 in 21
Nebraska#14791 in 23
Nevada#12141 in 16
New Jersey#12,5641 in 18
New Mexico#13691 in 24
New York#16,2541 in 19
North Carolina#11,9341 in 22
Ohio#13,9411 in 21
Oklahoma#19271 in 20
Pennsylvania#14,1821 in 19
Rhode Island#14041 in 15
Tennessee#11,4971 in 21
Texas#13,9631 in 27
Utah#15151 in 24
Virginia#11,6341 in 20
Washington#19381 in 23
West Virginia#17171 in 19
Wisconsin#11,3901 in 22
Wyoming#11131 in 19
Idaho#22241 in 26
Iowa#28281 in 23
Kentucky#21,1911 in 22
Maine#23221 in 23
Minnesota#21,1181 in 24
Mississippi#28101 in 25
New Hampshire#22571 in 20
North Dakota#21971 in 23
Oregon#26311 in 23
South Carolina#29821 in 22
South Dakota#22071 in 21
Vermont#31211 in 25

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 1972

girls
#431
452 births · 1 in 3,366 girls
boys
#1
71,393 births · 1 in 23 boys

Top girls' names in 1972

  1. #1Jennifer63,600
  2. #2Michelle29,285
  3. #3Lisa27,543
  4. #4Kimberly26,282
  5. #5Amy25,873
  6. #6Angela23,561
  7. #7Melissa22,494
  8. #8Stephanie16,890
  9. #9Heather16,320
  10. #10Nicole15,755
  11. #431Michael452

Top boys' names in 1972

  1. #1Michael71,393
  2. #2Christopher52,172
  3. #3James47,063
  4. #4David46,322
  5. #5John43,158
  6. #6Robert43,013
  7. #7Jason37,423
  8. #8Brian36,306
  9. #9William30,510
  10. #10Matthew22,928
More about 1972

girls

1,521,244 girls got a published name in 1972; 1 in 3,366 of them was named Michael, which outranked 95.5% of the 9,666 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #428Emma453
  2. #428Marjorie453
  3. #428Sue453
  4. #431Michael452
  5. #432Serena450
  6. #433Adriana448
  7. #434Lea444
Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. ↑ 5,804Camisha#6,619 → #815
  2. ↑ 3,921Catina#4,123 → #202
  3. ↑ 1,842Cherilyn#2,665 → #823
  4. ↑ 1,789Chasity#2,542 → #753
  5. ↑ 1,694Keena#2,542 → #848
Fallers
  1. ↓ 517Shayla#836 → #1,353
  2. ↓ 428Raina#798 → #1,226
  3. ↓ 280Kendall#742 → #1,022
  4. ↓ 275Alycia#951 → #1,226
  5. ↓ 255Charisse#727 → #982

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

boys

1,621,608 boys got a published name in 1972; 1 in 23 of them was named Michael, which outranked 100.0% of the 5,751 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #1Michael71,393
  2. #2Christopher52,172
  3. #3James47,063
  4. #4David46,322
Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,755Demond#3,146 → #391
  2. ↑ 1,286Cade#2,279 → #993
  3. ↑ 905Vidal#1,526 → #621
  4. ↑ 855Damond#1,784 → #929
  5. ↑ 849Kareem#1,254 → #405
Fallers
  1. ↓ 413Rich#914 → #1,327
  2. ↓ 401Monroe#947 → #1,348
  3. ↓ 317Laura#990 → #1,307
  4. ↓ 309Von#976 → #1,285
  5. ↓ 309Westley#998 → #1,307

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

See the top 100 for 1972 →