Michael
Michael was the 21st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 8,094 babies. Its best year was 1954, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 1957 (92,781). Over the last ten years it has moved down 12 places. More babies were named Michael in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning 'who is like God?' · Hebrew
Say it MY-kul /ˈmaɪkəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #21 boys, down 9 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 8,094boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195792,781 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,448,633babies recorded
What does the name Michael mean?
Michael is a Hebrew name in the form of a question: 'who is like God?'. It belongs to the archangel Michael, who is honored in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. DMNES finds it in English records from the 12th century.
מִיכָאֵל (Biblical Hebrew, “'who is like God?'”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Nicknames for Michael
The usual nicknames for Michael are Mike, Mikey, Mickey and Mick. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Michael in the last five years, 2 were named Mike, against 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike | Traditional | #1,234 | 963 |
| Mikey | Traditional | #2,631 | 198 |
| Mickey · also for Michaela | Traditional | #2,048 | 459 |
| Mick · also for Michaela | Traditional | #4,643 | 178 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Michaels go by each one.
Michael popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 21,880 since 1897, 13 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #21 | 8,094 |
| 2020 | #12 | 9,833 |
| 2010 | #3 | 17,387 |
| 2000 | #2 | 32,045 |
| 1990 | #1 | 65,321 |
| 1980 | #1 | 68,683 |
| 1970 | #1 | 85,266 |
| 1960 | #2 | 84,153 |
| 1950 | #4 | 65,136 |
| 1940 | #18 | 13,228 |
| 1930 | #54 | 3,543 |
| 1920 | #50 | 4,003 |
| 1910 | #45 | 844 |
| 1900 | #51 | 495 |
| 1890 | #48 | 394 |
| 1880 | #46 | 354 |
How popular is Michael, counting every spelling?
Michael is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #23 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #21 for Michael on its own. Together these spellings went to 8,278 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael | 8,094 | #21 | 42,798 |
| Micheal | 130 | #1,406 | 750 |
| Mikhael | 48 | #2,704 | 232 |
| Mychael | 6 | #11,570 | 35 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Michael?
8,094 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Michael (2.24 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Michael born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 24. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, a typical elementary school of 430 pupils would have about 1.0 children named Michael.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Michael?
About 3,540,300 people born in the US named Michael are alive today, with a median age of 51; half are between 36 and 64. That makes Michael mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Michael by state
How common Michael was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Rhode Island (2.2×), Alaska (2.2×), Delaware (2.2×), Wyoming (2.1×), District of Columbia (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Utah, Minnesota, Colorado.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Michael: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Michael, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Michael
What does Michael mean?
Michael means “'who is like God?'” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Michael?
Michael was the 21st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 8,094 babies. Its best year was 1954, when it ranked 1st; the most babies were born in 1957 (92,781). Over the last ten years it has moved down 12 places. More babies were named Michael in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Michael a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Michael in the US.
Where is Michael most popular?
In 2021–2025, Michael was most common in Rhode Island (11.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alaska and Delaware.