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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201973peak #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 1973

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #1 for boys · 142 births · 1 in 17 boysAKMaine: #2 for boys · 302 births · 1 in 23 boysMEVermont: #3 for boys · 111 births · 1 in 24 boysVTNew Hampshire: #2 for boys · 226 births · 1 in 22 boysNHWashington: #2 for boys · 907 births · 1 in 24 boysWAIdaho: #2 for boys · 264 births · 1 in 23 boysIDMontana: #2 for boys · 227 births · 1 in 21 boysMTNorth Dakota: #1 for boys · 217 births · 1 in 20 boysNDMinnesota: #2 for boys · 1,125 births · 1 in 23 boysMNIllinois: #1 for boys · 3,849 births · 1 in 20 boysILWisconsin: #2 for boys · 1,391 births · 1 in 21 boysWIMichigan: #1 for boys · 3,110 births · 1 in 21 boysMINew York: #1 for boys · 5,734 births · 1 in 20 boysNYMassachusetts: #1 for boys · 2,179 births · 1 in 16 boysMARhode Island: #1 for boys · 357 births · 1 in 16 boysRIOregon: #2 for boys · 587 births · 1 in 24 boysORNevada: #1 for boys · 188 births · 1 in 18 boysNVWyoming: #1 for boys · 119 births · 1 in 19 boysWYSouth Dakota: #2 for boys · 196 births · 1 in 22 boysSDIowa: #2 for boys · 733 births · 1 in 25 boysIAIndiana: #1 for boys · 1,901 births · 1 in 21 boysINOhio: #1 for boys · 3,892 births · 1 in 20 boysOHPennsylvania: #1 for boys · 4,065 births · 1 in 18 boysPANew Jersey: #1 for boys · 2,405 births · 1 in 18 boysNJConnecticut: #1 for boys · 992 births · 1 in 17 boysCTCalifornia: #1 for boys · 5,875 births · 1 in 25 boysCAUtah: #2 for boys · 450 births · 1 in 28 boysUTColorado: #1 for boys · 847 births · 1 in 21 boysCONebraska: #1 for boys · 494 births · 1 in 21 boysNEMissouri: #1 for boys · 1,486 births · 1 in 22 boysMOKentucky: #1 for boys · 1,178 births · 1 in 22 boysKYWest Virginia: #2 for boys · 570 births · 1 in 23 boysWVVirginia: #1 for boys · 1,504 births · 1 in 21 boysVAMaryland: #1 for boys · 1,158 births · 1 in 19 boysMDDelaware: #1 for boys · 193 births · 1 in 17 boysDEArizona: #1 for boys · 746 births · 1 in 23 boysAZNew Mexico: #1 for boys · 386 births · 1 in 23 boysNMKansas: #2 for boys · 651 births · 1 in 21 boysKSArkansas: #1 for boys · 719 births · 1 in 21 boysARTennessee: #2 for boys · 1,394 births · 1 in 22 boysTNNorth Carolina: #1 for boys · 1,747 births · 1 in 23 boysNCSouth Carolina: #2 for boys · 909 births · 1 in 23 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #1 for boys · 428 births · 1 in 19 boysDCOklahoma: #1 for boys · 854 births · 1 in 21 boysOKLouisiana: #1 for boys · 1,036 births · 1 in 29 boysLAMississippi: #2 for boys · 740 births · 1 in 26 boysMSAlabama: #2 for boys · 1,175 births · 1 in 23 boysALGeorgia: #1 for boys · 1,737 births · 1 in 23 boysGAHawaii: #1 for boys · 217 births · 1 in 27 boysHITexas: #1 for boys · 3,827 births · 1 in 27 boysTXFlorida: #1 for boys · 2,257 births · 1 in 22 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Rhode Island#1 · 1 in 16
  2. Massachusetts#1 · 1 in 16
  3. Connecticut#1 · 1 in 17
  4. Alaska#1 · 1 in 17
  5. Delaware#1 · 1 in 17

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alaska#11421 in 17
Arizona#17461 in 23
Arkansas#17191 in 21
California#15,8751 in 25
Colorado#18471 in 21
Connecticut#19921 in 17
Delaware#11931 in 17
District of Columbia#14281 in 19
Florida#12,2571 in 22
Georgia#11,7371 in 23
Hawaii#12171 in 27
Illinois#13,8491 in 20
Indiana#11,9011 in 21
Kentucky#11,1781 in 22
Louisiana#11,0361 in 29
Maryland#11,1581 in 19
Massachusetts#12,1791 in 16
Michigan#13,1101 in 21
Missouri#11,4861 in 22
Nebraska#14941 in 21
Nevada#11881 in 18
New Jersey#12,4051 in 18
New Mexico#13861 in 23
New York#15,7341 in 20
North Carolina#11,7471 in 23
North Dakota#12171 in 20
Ohio#13,8921 in 20
Oklahoma#18541 in 21
Pennsylvania#14,0651 in 18
Rhode Island#13571 in 16
Texas#13,8271 in 27
Virginia#11,5041 in 21
Wyoming#11191 in 19
Alabama#21,1751 in 23
Idaho#22641 in 23
Iowa#27331 in 25
Kansas#26511 in 21
Maine#23021 in 23
Minnesota#21,1251 in 23
Mississippi#27401 in 26
Montana#22271 in 21
New Hampshire#22261 in 22
Oregon#25871 in 24
South Carolina#29091 in 23
South Dakota#21961 in 22
Tennessee#21,3941 in 22
Utah#24501 in 28
Washington#29071 in 24
West Virginia#25701 in 23
Wisconsin#21,3911 in 21
Vermont#31111 in 24

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 1973

girls
#431
451 births · 1 in 3,233 girls
boys
#1
67,797 births · 1 in 23 boys

Top girls' names in 1973

  1. #1Jennifer62,448
  2. #2Amy26,962
  3. #3Michelle26,935
  4. #4Kimberly23,531
  5. #5Lisa22,677
  6. #6Melissa22,479
  7. #7Angela20,898
  8. #8Heather19,347
  9. #9Stephanie17,263
  10. #10Rebecca14,868
  11. #431Michael451

Top boys' names in 1973

  1. #1Michael67,797
  2. #2Christopher48,313
  3. #3Jason46,683
  4. #4James42,836
  5. #5David41,082
  6. #6John39,165
  7. #7Robert38,698
  8. #8Brian35,686
  9. #9William28,018
  10. #10Matthew24,531
More about 1973

girls

1,458,209 girls got a published name in 1973; 1 in 3,233 of them was named Michael, which outranked 95.6% of the 9,810 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #428Paige456
  2. #429Sophia455
  3. #430Lena453
  4. #431Michael451
  5. #432Esmeralda450
  6. #433Alyssa449
  7. #434Bridgett445
Biggest movers since 1972
Risers
  1. ↑ 4,091Cicely#4,793 → #702
  2. ↑ 2,295Aubrey#3,177 → #882
  3. ↑ 1,847Nyree#2,680 → #833
  4. ↑ 1,533Danyell#2,523 → #990
  5. ↑ 1,496Vonetta#2,311 → #815
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,814Camisha#815 → #2,629
  2. ↓ 470Andra#904 → #1,374
  3. ↓ 416Cherilyn#823 → #1,239
  4. ↓ 284Keena#848 → #1,132
  5. ↓ 281Nicolle#734 → #1,015

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

boys

1,558,576 boys got a published name in 1973; 1 in 23 of them was named Michael, which outranked 100.0% of the 5,877 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. #1Michael67,797
  2. #2Christopher48,313
  3. #3Jason46,683
  4. #4James42,836
Biggest movers since 1972
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,348Vashon#3,152 → #804
  2. ↑ 1,405Jory#2,158 → #753
  3. ↑ 348Pernell#1,262 → #914
  4. ↑ 345Enoch#1,307 → #962
  5. ↑ 273Tarik#1,177 → #904
Fallers
  1. ↓ 669Jabbar#917 → #1,586
  2. ↓ 361Wes#993 → #1,354
  3. ↓ 326Paris#797 → #1,123
  4. ↓ 284Christophe#984 → #1,268
  5. ↓ 272Bennett#851 → #1,123

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

See the top 100 for 1973 →