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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201997peak #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 1997

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #3 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 41 boysAKMaine: #8 for boys · 112 births · 1 in 51 boysMEVermont: #8 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 47 boysVTNew Hampshire: #5 for boys · 149 births · 1 in 40 boysNHWashington: #2 for boys · 649 births · 1 in 52 boysWAIdaho: #6 for boys · 120 births · 1 in 62 boysIDMontana: #5 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 57 boysMTNorth Dakota: #5 for boys · 76 births · 1 in 50 boysNDMinnesota: #6 for boys · 508 births · 1 in 57 boysMNIllinois: #1 for boys · 2,011 births · 1 in 40 boysILWisconsin: #3 for boys · 573 births · 1 in 50 boysWIMichigan: #2 for boys · 1,374 births · 1 in 43 boysMINew York: #1 for boys · 3,461 births · 1 in 33 boysNYMassachusetts: #2 for boys · 1,119 births · 1 in 32 boysMARhode Island: #1 for boys · 184 births · 1 in 28 boysRIOregon: #3 for boys · 345 births · 1 in 56 boysORNevada: #1 for boys · 250 births · 1 in 43 boysNVWyoming: #4 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 50 boysWYSouth Dakota: #3 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 48 boysSDIowa: #6 for boys · 277 births · 1 in 59 boysIAIndiana: #3 for boys · 736 births · 1 in 51 boysINOhio: #2 for boys · 1,533 births · 1 in 46 boysOHPennsylvania: #1 for boys · 1,795 births · 1 in 37 boysPANew Jersey: #1 for boys · 1,750 births · 1 in 27 boysNJConnecticut: #1 for boys · 615 births · 1 in 30 boysCTCalifornia: #2 for boys · 4,311 births · 1 in 57 boysCAUtah: #5 for boys · 299 births · 1 in 64 boysUTColorado: #2 for boys · 493 births · 1 in 51 boysCONebraska: #8 for boys · 148 births · 1 in 66 boysNEMissouri: #4 for boys · 640 births · 1 in 54 boysMOKentucky: #6 for boys · 461 births · 1 in 50 boysKYWest Virginia: #5 for boys · 215 births · 1 in 43 boysWVVirginia: #1 for boys · 899 births · 1 in 43 boysVAMaryland: #1 for boys · 762 births · 1 in 37 boysMDDelaware: #1 for boys · 148 births · 1 in 26 boysDEArizona: #2 for boys · 629 births · 1 in 55 boysAZNew Mexico: #5 for boys · 188 births · 1 in 57 boysNMKansas: #3 for boys · 274 births · 1 in 56 boysKSArkansas: #4 for boys · 288 births · 1 in 51 boysARTennessee: #5 for boys · 703 births · 1 in 49 boysTNNorth Carolina: #3 for boys · 986 births · 1 in 48 boysNCSouth Carolina: #4 for boys · 433 births · 1 in 47 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #1 for boys · 131 births · 1 in 38 boysDCOklahoma: #5 for boys · 365 births · 1 in 55 boysOKLouisiana: #2 for boys · 500 births · 1 in 54 boysLAMississippi: #6 for boys · 290 births · 1 in 52 boysMSAlabama: #7 for boys · 493 births · 1 in 50 boysALGeorgia: #2 for boys · 1,024 births · 1 in 49 boysGAHawaii: #2 for boys · 115 births · 1 in 46 boysHITexas: #2 for boys · 2,715 births · 1 in 58 boysTXFlorida: #1 for boys · 2,091 births · 1 in 41 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Delaware#1 · 1 in 26
  2. New Jersey#1 · 1 in 27
  3. Rhode Island#1 · 1 in 28
  4. Connecticut#1 · 1 in 30
  5. New York#1 · 1 in 33

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Connecticut#16151 in 30
Delaware#11481 in 26
District of Columbia#11311 in 38
Florida#12,0911 in 41
Illinois#12,0111 in 40
Maryland#17621 in 37
Nevada#12501 in 43
New Jersey#11,7501 in 27
New York#13,4611 in 33
Pennsylvania#11,7951 in 37
Rhode Island#11841 in 28
Virginia#18991 in 43
Arizona#26291 in 55
California#24,3111 in 57
Colorado#24931 in 51
Georgia#21,0241 in 49
Hawaii#21151 in 46
Louisiana#25001 in 54
Massachusetts#21,1191 in 32
Michigan#21,3741 in 43
Ohio#21,5331 in 46
Texas#22,7151 in 58
Washington#26491 in 52
Alaska#3811 in 41
Indiana#37361 in 51
Kansas#32741 in 56
North Carolina#39861 in 48
Oregon#33451 in 56
South Dakota#3811 in 48
Wisconsin#35731 in 50
Arkansas#42881 in 51
Missouri#46401 in 54
South Carolina#44331 in 47
Wyoming#4401 in 50
Montana#5701 in 57
New Hampshire#51491 in 40
New Mexico#51881 in 57
North Dakota#5761 in 50
Oklahoma#53651 in 55
Tennessee#57031 in 49
Utah#52991 in 64
West Virginia#52151 in 43
Idaho#61201 in 62
Iowa#62771 in 59
Kentucky#64611 in 50
Minnesota#65081 in 57
Mississippi#62901 in 52
Alabama#74931 in 50
Maine#81121 in 51
Nebraska#81481 in 66
Vermont#8521 in 47

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 1997

girls
#1,249
142 births · 1 in 12,259 girls
boys
#1
37,562 births · 1 in 50 boys

Top girls' names in 1997

  1. #1Emily25,734
  2. #2Jessica21,045
  3. #3Ashley20,897
  4. #4Sarah20,716
  5. #5Hannah20,597
  6. #6Samantha20,170
  7. #7Taylor19,504
  8. #8Alexis17,171
  9. #9Elizabeth15,430
  10. #10Madison15,189
  11. #1,249Michael142

Top boys' names in 1997

  1. #1Michael37,562
  2. #2Jacob34,163
  3. #3Matthew31,517
  4. #4Christopher29,108
  5. #5Joshua28,289
  6. #6Nicholas27,258
  7. #7Andrew25,208
  8. #8Brandon25,197
  9. #9Austin25,118
  10. #10Tyler24,879
More about 1997

girls

1,740,710 girls got a published name in 1997; 1 in 12,259 of them was named Michael, which outranked 92.3% of the 16,163 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 11.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #1,242Danika143
  2. #1,242Jodie143
  3. #1,242Tiera143
  4. #1,249Michael142
  5. #1,249Aracely142
  6. #1,249Brittni142
  7. #1,249Colette142
  8. #1,261Franchesca141
  9. #1,261Michaella141
  10. #1,261Shoshana141

Tied with 11 names at #1,249; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1996
Risers
  1. ↑ 9,582Yulisa#10,567 → #985
  2. ↑ 3,882Yulissa#4,306 → #424
  3. ↑ 2,634Tea#3,429 → #795
  4. ↑ 2,046Taya#2,901 → #855
  5. ↑ 1,202Julisa#1,930 → #728
Fallers
  1. ↓ 931Yamilex#707 → #1,638
  2. ↓ 477Suzette#998 → #1,475
  3. ↓ 457Chynna#834 → #1,291
  4. ↓ 396Moesha#547 → #943
  5. ↓ 377Daijah#975 → #1,352

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

boys

1,885,140 boys got a published name in 1997; 1 in 50 of them was named Michael, which outranked 100.0% of the 10,814 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #1Michael37,562
  2. #2Jacob34,163
  3. #3Matthew31,517
  4. #4Christopher29,108
Biggest movers since 1996
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,420Jaret#2,145 → #725
  2. ↑ 712Kobe#1,265 → #553
  3. ↑ 580Ronaldo#1,465 → #885
  4. ↑ 420Jarett#1,334 → #914
  5. ↑ 416Gianni#1,093 → #677
Fallers
  1. ↓ 562Shaquille#662 → #1,224
  2. ↓ 373Dalvin#977 → #1,350
  3. ↓ 355Montel#990 → #1,345
  4. ↓ 328Codie#884 → #1,212
  5. ↓ 328Jair#884 → #1,212

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

See the top 100 for 1997 →