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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201996peak #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 1996

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #1 for boys · 101 births · 1 in 35 boysAKMaine: #9 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 51 boysMEVermont: #9 for boys · 56 births · 1 in 46 boysVTNew Hampshire: #4 for boys · 169 births · 1 in 37 boysNHWashington: #3 for boys · 607 births · 1 in 55 boysWAIdaho: #5 for boys · 122 births · 1 in 60 boysIDMontana: #3 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 46 boysMTNorth Dakota: #9 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 57 boysNDMinnesota: #5 for boys · 571 births · 1 in 50 boysMNIllinois: #1 for boys · 2,132 births · 1 in 38 boysILWisconsin: #4 for boys · 600 births · 1 in 49 boysWIMichigan: #2 for boys · 1,391 births · 1 in 43 boysMINew York: #1 for boys · 3,559 births · 1 in 33 boysNYMassachusetts: #1 for boys · 1,218 births · 1 in 31 boysMARhode Island: #2 for boys · 184 births · 1 in 30 boysRIOregon: #4 for boys · 350 births · 1 in 56 boysORNevada: #1 for boys · 226 births · 1 in 46 boysNVWyoming: #4 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 48 boysWYSouth Dakota: #12 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 69 boysSDIowa: #6 for boys · 298 births · 1 in 56 boysIAIndiana: #4 for boys · 712 births · 1 in 53 boysINOhio: #2 for boys · 1,660 births · 1 in 42 boysOHPennsylvania: #1 for boys · 1,951 births · 1 in 35 boysPANew Jersey: #1 for boys · 1,738 births · 1 in 28 boysNJConnecticut: #1 for boys · 663 births · 1 in 29 boysCTCalifornia: #3 for boys · 4,353 births · 1 in 58 boysCAUtah: #5 for boys · 299 births · 1 in 63 boysUTColorado: #2 for boys · 487 births · 1 in 51 boysCONebraska: #5 for boys · 192 births · 1 in 51 boysNEMissouri: #4 for boys · 662 births · 1 in 52 boysMOKentucky: #10 for boys · 450 births · 1 in 51 boysKYWest Virginia: #7 for boys · 211 births · 1 in 44 boysWVVirginia: #1 for boys · 910 births · 1 in 43 boysVAMaryland: #1 for boys · 770 births · 1 in 37 boysMDDelaware: #1 for boys · 127 births · 1 in 30 boysDEArizona: #1 for boys · 695 births · 1 in 48 boysAZNew Mexico: #1 for boys · 216 births · 1 in 50 boysNMKansas: #5 for boys · 258 births · 1 in 58 boysKSArkansas: #4 for boys · 299 births · 1 in 49 boysARTennessee: #6 for boys · 711 births · 1 in 48 boysTNNorth Carolina: #3 for boys · 993 births · 1 in 46 boysNCSouth Carolina: #4 for boys · 434 births · 1 in 45 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #1 for boys · 138 births · 1 in 36 boysDCOklahoma: #3 for boys · 374 births · 1 in 51 boysOKLouisiana: #4 for boys · 498 births · 1 in 54 boysLAMississippi: #6 for boys · 294 births · 1 in 52 boysMSAlabama: #2 for boys · 581 births · 1 in 43 boysALGeorgia: #4 for boys · 1,007 births · 1 in 48 boysGAHawaii: #2 for boys · 120 births · 1 in 47 boysHITexas: #3 for boys · 2,602 births · 1 in 60 boysTXFlorida: #1 for boys · 2,014 births · 1 in 42 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. New Jersey#1 · 1 in 28
  2. Connecticut#1 · 1 in 29
  3. Delaware#1 · 1 in 30
  4. Massachusetts#1 · 1 in 31
  5. New York#1 · 1 in 33

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alaska#11011 in 35
Arizona#16951 in 48
Connecticut#16631 in 29
Delaware#11271 in 30
District of Columbia#11381 in 36
Florida#12,0141 in 42
Illinois#12,1321 in 38
Maryland#17701 in 37
Massachusetts#11,2181 in 31
Nevada#12261 in 46
New Jersey#11,7381 in 28
New Mexico#12161 in 50
New York#13,5591 in 33
Pennsylvania#11,9511 in 35
Virginia#19101 in 43
Alabama#25811 in 43
Colorado#24871 in 51
Hawaii#21201 in 47
Michigan#21,3911 in 43
Ohio#21,6601 in 42
Rhode Island#21841 in 30
California#34,3531 in 58
Montana#3881 in 46
North Carolina#39931 in 46
Oklahoma#33741 in 51
Texas#32,6021 in 60
Washington#36071 in 55
Arkansas#42991 in 49
Georgia#41,0071 in 48
Indiana#47121 in 53
Louisiana#44981 in 54
Missouri#46621 in 52
New Hampshire#41691 in 37
Oregon#43501 in 56
South Carolina#44341 in 45
Wisconsin#46001 in 49
Wyoming#4421 in 48
Idaho#51221 in 60
Kansas#52581 in 58
Minnesota#55711 in 50
Nebraska#51921 in 51
Utah#52991 in 63
Iowa#62981 in 56
Mississippi#62941 in 52
Tennessee#67111 in 48
West Virginia#72111 in 44
Maine#91141 in 51
North Dakota#9661 in 57
Vermont#9561 in 46
Kentucky#104501 in 51
South Dakota#12601 in 69

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 1996

girls
#1,155
157 births · 1 in 11,166 girls
boys
#1
38,373 births · 1 in 49 boys

Top girls' names in 1996

  1. #1Emily25,150
  2. #2Jessica24,201
  3. #3Ashley23,678
  4. #4Sarah21,048
  5. #5Samantha20,552
  6. #6Taylor19,155
  7. #7Hannah18,596
  8. #8Alexis16,592
  9. #9Rachel16,121
  10. #10Elizabeth16,003
  11. #1,155Michael157

Top boys' names in 1996

  1. #1Michael38,373
  2. #2Matthew32,077
  3. #3Jacob31,925
  4. #4Christopher30,904
  5. #5Joshua29,175
  6. #6Nicholas27,724
  7. #7Tyler26,956
  8. #8Brandon25,847
  9. #9Austin25,663
  10. #10Andrew25,244
More about 1996

girls

1,753,007 girls got a published name in 1996; 1 in 11,166 of them was named Michael, which outranked 92.7% of the 15,894 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 11.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #1,149Dylan158
  2. #1,149Meranda158
  3. #1,149Shay158
  4. #1,155Michael157
  5. #1,155Anabel157
  6. #1,155Belen157
  7. #1,155Georgina157
  8. #1,164Austin156
  9. #1,164Cherish156
  10. #1,164Dajah156

Tied with 8 names at #1,155; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1995
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,167Odalys#2,845 → #678
  2. ↑ 1,531Tamia#2,028 → #497
  3. ↑ 1,524Jaycie#2,486 → #962
  4. ↑ 1,486Odalis#2,394 → #908
  5. ↑ 1,430Zaria#2,155 → #725
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,558Unknown#865 → #2,423
  2. ↓ 723Iridian#886 → #1,609
  3. ↓ 435Selene#964 → #1,399
  4. ↓ 394Salina#838 → #1,232
  5. ↓ 339Chelsi#697 → #1,036

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

boys

1,894,300 boys got a published name in 1996; 1 in 49 of them was named Michael, which outranked 100.0% of the 10,536 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #1Michael38,373
  2. #2Matthew32,077
  3. #3Jacob31,925
  4. #4Christopher30,904
Biggest movers since 1995
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,398Keyshawn#2,178 → #780
  2. ↑ 1,171Jair#2,055 → #884
  3. ↑ 1,065Kordell#2,055 → #990
  4. ↑ 856Shemar#1,758 → #902
  5. ↑ 686Nasir#1,648 → #962
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,075Unknown#665 → #1,740
  2. ↓ 649Rashaan#937 → #1,586
  3. ↓ 633Savon#966 → #1,599
  4. ↓ 514Latrell#966 → #1,480
  5. ↓ 351Rakeem#970 → #1,321

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

See the top 100 for 1996 →