Mike
Mike was the 1234th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 163 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 36th with 12,045 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 200 places. More babies were named Mike in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Michael · English, Hebrew
Say it MYK /maɪk/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,234 boys, down 78 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 163boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 196012,045 babies
- Total since 1880
- 206,523babies recorded
What does the name Mike mean?
Mike is a shortening of Michael, as Wiktionary notes, and for girls of Michaela. Michael is Hebrew Mikhaʾel, 'who is like God?', a rhetorical question; DMNES notes he is one of the archangels. The short form Mike has been used on its own since the 19th century in American English.
מִיכָאֵל (Mikhaʾel) (Biblical Hebrew, “who is like God?”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Michael, Mikey, Mick, Mitch.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mike', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Michael', DMNES (Durham University)
Mike popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 662 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,234 | 163 |
| 2020 | #1,156 | 168 |
| 2010 | #871 | 242 |
| 2000 | #601 | 329 |
| 1990 | #506 | 380 |
| 1980 | #402 | 407 |
| 1970 | #136 | 2,466 |
| 1960 | #36 | 12,045 |
| 1950 | #113 | 2,614 |
| 1940 | #122 | 1,549 |
| 1930 | #197 | 711 |
| 1920 | #141 | 1,074 |
| 1910 | #143 | 222 |
| 1900 | #159 | 132 |
| 1890 | #170 | 83 |
| 1880 | #143 | 95 |
How popular is Mike, counting every spelling?
Mike is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,123 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,234 for Mike on its own. Together these spellings went to 174 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike | 163 | #1,234 | 963 |
| Myke | 11 | #7,523 | 53 |
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 Mike?
163 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mike (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Mike born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 51 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Mike.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mike?
About 128,800 people born in the US named Mike are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 60 and 69. That makes Mike a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Mike by state
How common Mike was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Florida (3.3×), New Jersey (2.3×), New York (2.1×). In 32 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Mike: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mike, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mike · Sibling names for Mike
Mike is also a nickname for Michael.
Questions about the name Mike
What does Mike mean?
Mike means “short form of Michael” (English, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Mike?
Mike was the 1234th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 163 babies. Its best year was 1960, when it ranked 36th with 12,045 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 200 places. More babies were named Mike in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Mike a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Mike in the US.
Where is Mike most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mike was most common in Florida (0.37 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and New York.