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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020202018peak #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 2018

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #4 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 72 boysAKMaine: #25 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 125 boysMEVermont: #50 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 148 boysVTNew Hampshire: #15 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 92 boysNHWashington: #26 for boys · 200 births · 1 in 173 boysWAIdaho: #45 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 210 boysIDMontana: #29 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 139 boysMTNorth Dakota: #35 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 150 boysNDMinnesota: #29 for boys · 151 births · 1 in 177 boysMNIllinois: #11 for boys · 482 births · 1 in 124 boysILWisconsin: #26 for boys · 153 births · 1 in 168 boysWIMichigan: #14 for boys · 361 births · 1 in 127 boysMINew York: #6 for boys · 968 births · 1 in 99 boysNYMassachusetts: #10 for boys · 276 births · 1 in 102 boysMARhode Island: #8 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 78 boysRIOregon: #41 for boys · 82 births · 1 in 203 boysORNevada: #12 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 115 boysNVWyoming: #37 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 118 boysWYSouth Dakota: #66 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 223 boysSDIowa: #41 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 205 boysIAIndiana: #26 for boys · 193 births · 1 in 176 boysINOhio: #8 for boys · 478 births · 1 in 120 boysOHPennsylvania: #5 for boys · 578 births · 1 in 99 boysPANew Jersey: #4 for boys · 453 births · 1 in 89 boysNJConnecticut: #10 for boys · 151 births · 1 in 92 boysCTCalifornia: #21 for boys · 1,360 births · 1 in 152 boysCAUtah: #41 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 199 boysUTColorado: #28 for boys · 146 births · 1 in 177 boysCONebraska: #37 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 188 boysNEMissouri: #21 for boys · 202 births · 1 in 150 boysMOKentucky: #25 for boys · 140 births · 1 in 150 boysKYWest Virginia: #26 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 130 boysWVVirginia: #14 for boys · 303 births · 1 in 134 boysVAMaryland: #13 for boys · 217 births · 1 in 122 boysMDDelaware: #20 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 107 boysDEArizona: #13 for boys · 251 births · 1 in 136 boysAZNew Mexico: #17 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 119 boysNMKansas: #23 for boys · 97 births · 1 in 150 boysKSArkansas: #7 for boys · 119 births · 1 in 114 boysARTennessee: #14 for boys · 245 births · 1 in 145 boysTNNorth Carolina: #17 for boys · 337 births · 1 in 149 boysNCSouth Carolina: #19 for boys · 139 births · 1 in 150 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #13 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 92 boysDCOklahoma: #15 for boys · 130 births · 1 in 145 boysOKLouisiana: #14 for boys · 148 births · 1 in 154 boysLAMississippi: #23 for boys · 83 births · 1 in 156 boysMSAlabama: #12 for boys · 166 births · 1 in 136 boysALGeorgia: #13 for boys · 358 births · 1 in 146 boysGAHawaii: #32 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 147 boysHITexas: #17 for boys · 1,124 births · 1 in 156 boysTXFlorida: #7 for boys · 818 births · 1 in 117 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Alaska#4 · 1 in 72
  2. New Jersey#4 · 1 in 89
  3. Pennsylvania#5 · 1 in 99
  4. New York#6 · 1 in 99
  5. Arkansas#7 · 1 in 114

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alaska#4411 in 72
New Jersey#44531 in 89
Pennsylvania#55781 in 99
New York#69681 in 99
Arkansas#71191 in 114
Florida#78181 in 117
Ohio#84781 in 120
Rhode Island#8451 in 78
Connecticut#101511 in 92
Massachusetts#102761 in 102
Illinois#114821 in 124
Alabama#121661 in 136
Nevada#121141 in 115
Arizona#132511 in 136
District of Columbia#13431 in 92
Georgia#133581 in 146
Maryland#132171 in 122
Louisiana#141481 in 154
Michigan#143611 in 127
Tennessee#142451 in 145
Virginia#143031 in 134
New Hampshire#15461 in 92
Oklahoma#151301 in 145
New Mexico#17641 in 119
North Carolina#173371 in 149
Texas#171,1241 in 156
South Carolina#191391 in 150
Delaware#20301 in 107
California#211,3601 in 152
Missouri#212021 in 150
Kansas#23971 in 150
Mississippi#23831 in 156
Kentucky#251401 in 150
Maine#25341 in 125
Indiana#261931 in 176
Washington#262001 in 173
West Virginia#26581 in 130
Wisconsin#261531 in 168
Colorado#281461 in 177
Minnesota#291511 in 177
Montana#29261 in 139
Hawaii#32261 in 147
North Dakota#35261 in 150
Nebraska#37501 in 188
Wyoming#37121 in 118
Iowa#41701 in 205
Oregon#41821 in 203
Utah#41981 in 199
Idaho#45371 in 210
Vermont#50101 in 148
South Dakota#66171 in 223

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 2018

girls
#6,010
20 births · 1 in 85,054 girls
boys
#14
11,756 births · 1 in 154 boys

Top girls' names in 2018

  1. #1Emma18,824
  2. #2Olivia18,061
  3. #3Ava15,034
  4. #4Isabella14,575
  5. #5Sophia14,013
  6. #6Charlotte13,038
  7. #7Mia12,742
  8. #8Amelia12,405
  9. #9Harper10,646
  10. #10Evelyn10,433
  11. #6,010Michael20

Top boys' names in 2018

  1. #1Liam19,977
  2. #2Noah18,441
  3. #3William14,646
  4. #4James13,650
  5. #5Oliver13,500
  6. #6Benjamin13,488
  7. #7Elijah13,020
  8. #8Lucas12,665
  9. #9Mason12,526
  10. #10Logan12,447
  11. #14Michael11,756
More about 2018

girls

1,701,074 girls got a published name in 2018; 1 in 85,054 of them was named Michael, which outranked 66.9% of the 18,152 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #5,785Zeppelin21
  2. #5,785Zuriah21
  3. #5,785Zuzanna21
  4. #6,010Michael20
  5. #6,010Aalani20
  6. #6,010Aaliah20
  7. #6,010Aamina20
  8. #6,248Aalyiah19
  9. #6,248Aanika19
  10. #6,248Aariana19

Tied with 237 names at #6,010; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2017
Risers
  1. ↑ 680Meghan#1,387 → #707
  2. ↑ 567Dior#1,360 → #793
  3. ↑ 367Palmer#1,042 → #675
  4. ↑ 361Adalee#1,217 → #856
  5. ↑ 346Oaklynn#888 → #542
Fallers
  1. ↓ 334Audrina#847 → #1,181
  2. ↓ 234Courtney#952 → #1,186
  3. ↓ 232Marjorie#938 → #1,170
  4. ↓ 228Anabelle#969 → #1,197
  5. ↓ 225Angelique#799 → #1,024

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

boys

1,816,158 boys got a published name in 2018; 1 in 154 of them was named Michael, which outranked 99.9% of the 14,118 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 7.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Michael
  1. #11Alexander12,110
  2. #12Ethan11,931
  3. #13Jacob11,897
  4. #14Michael11,756
  5. #15Daniel11,296
  6. #16Henry10,714
  7. #17Jackson10,424
Biggest movers since 2017
Risers
  1. ↑ 594Genesis#1,575 → #981
  2. ↑ 436Baker#1,149 → #713
  3. ↑ 430Saint#1,287 → #857
  4. ↑ 319Kairo#802 → #483
  5. ↑ 307Watson#1,020 → #713
Fallers
  1. ↓ 235Aaden#893 → #1,128
  2. ↓ 224Dilan#917 → #1,141
  3. ↓ 201Craig#980 → #1,181
  4. ↓ 177Mike#951 → #1,128
  5. ↓ 172Harper#798 → #970

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

See the top 100 for 2018 →