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
- Peak · boys
- 1957 · 92,781 births
- Debut · boys
- 354 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 146 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 4,426,753since 1880
Michael over time
Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #7,885 | 13 | #21 | 8,094 |
| 2024 | #6,932 | 16 | #18 | 8,229 |
| 2023 | #5,960 | 20 | #16 | 8,430 |
| 2022 | #6,229 | 19 | #16 | 8,895 |
| 2021 | #4,833 | 27 | #17 | 9,150 |
| 2020 | #5,168 | 24 | #12 | 9,833 |
| 2019 | #4,260 | 33 | #14 | 10,619 |
| 2018 | #6,010 | 20 | #14 | 11,756 |
| 2017 | #4,220 | 34 | #12 | 12,726 |
| 2016 | #4,250 | 34 | #8 | 14,145 |
| 2015 | #4,069 | 36 | #9 | 14,504 |
| 2014 | #4,178 | 35 | #7 | 15,505 |
| 2013 | #3,849 | 39 | #7 | 15,544 |
| 2012 | #5,114 | 27 | #7 | 16,211 |
| 2011 | #4,072 | 36 | #6 | 16,823 |
| 2010 | #4,023 | 37 | #3 | 17,387 |
| 2009 | #3,561 | 45 | #3 | 18,964 |
| 2008 | #3,084 | 55 | #2 | 20,652 |
| 2007 | #3,247 | 52 | #2 | 22,027 |
| 2006 | #2,757 | 64 | #2 | 22,653 |
| 2005 | #2,731 | 61 | #2 | 23,828 |
| 2004 | #1,404 | 148 | #2 | 25,470 |
| 2003 | #1,925 | 94 | #2 | 27,129 |
| 2002 | #1,866 | 95 | #2 | 28,258 |
| 2001 | #1,833 | 96 | #2 | 29,689 |
| 2000 | #1,558 | 114 | #2 | 32,045 |
| 1999 | #1,422 | 123 | #2 | 33,915 |
| 1998 | #1,359 | 128 | #1 | 36,618 |
| 1997 | #1,249 | 142 | #1 | 37,562 |
| 1996 | #1,155 | 157 | #1 | 38,373 |
| 1995 | #1,067 | 167 | #1 | 41,409 |
| 1994 | #965 | 192 | #1 | 44,477 |
| 1993 | #870 | 223 | #1 | 49,571 |
| 1992 | #789 | 258 | #1 | 54,410 |
| 1991 | #769 | 267 | #1 | 60,810 |
| 1990 | #747 | 277 | #1 | 65,321 |
| 1989 | #594 | 363 | #1 | 65,415 |
| 1988 | #472 | 480 | #1 | 64,171 |
| 1987 | #410 | 544 | #1 | 63,664 |
| 1986 | #392 | 590 | #1 | 64,235 |
| 1985 | #419 | 531 | #1 | 64,934 |
| 1984 | #419 | 508 | #1 | 67,735 |
| 1983 | #385 | 577 | #1 | 68,004 |
| 1982 | #403 | 576 | #1 | 68,216 |
| 1981 | #439 | 487 | #1 | 68,750 |
| 1980 | #409 | 546 | #1 | 68,683 |
| 1979 | #393 | 554 | #1 | 67,713 |
| 1978 | #384 | 545 | #1 | 67,127 |
| 1977 | #378 | 560 | #1 | 67,587 |
| 1976 | #398 | 515 | #1 | 66,915 |
| 1975 | #373 | 557 | #1 | 68,418 |
| 1974 | #392 | 525 | #1 | 67,534 |
| 1973 | #431 | 451 | #1 | 67,797 |
| 1972 | #431 | 452 | #1 | 71,393 |
| 1971 | #448 | 459 | #1 | 77,577 |
| 1970 | #461 | 457 | #1 | 85,266 |
| 1969 | #449 | 459 | #1 | 85,162 |
| 1968 | #440 | 471 | #1 | 81,968 |
| 1967 | #494 | 373 | #1 | 82,411 |
| 1966 | #509 | 346 | #1 | 79,985 |
| 1965 | #504 | 355 | #1 | 80,992 |
| 1964 | #565 | 303 | #1 | 82,617 |
| 1963 | #501 | 376 | #1 | 83,771 |
| 1962 | #519 | 356 | #1 | 85,059 |
| 1961 | #546 | 324 | #1 | 86,974 |
| 1960 | #547 | 316 | #2 | 84,153 |
| 1959 | #587 | 285 | #1 | 85,294 |
| 1958 | #572 | 295 | #1 | 90,604 |
| 1957 | #611 | 255 | #1 | 92,781 |
| 1956 | #620 | 238 | #1 | 90,691 |
| 1955 | #577 | 250 | #1 | 88,355 |
| 1954 | #616 | 217 | #1 | 88,568 |
| 1953 | #581 | 232 | #3 | 84,198 |
| 1952 | #644 | 190 | #4 | 79,037 |
| 1951 | #668 | 172 | #4 | 72,807 |
| 1950 | #640 | 179 | #4 | 65,136 |
| 1949 | #602 | 188 | #5 | 60,047 |
| 1948 | #637 | 170 | #6 | 52,566 |
| 1947 | #635 | 173 | #7 | 50,506 |
| 1946 | #611 | 169 | #7 | 41,194 |
| 1945 | #583 | 158 | #9 | 29,902 |
| 1944 | #562 | 168 | #9 | 26,717 |
| 1943 | #550 | 188 | #10 | 24,745 |
| 1942 | #593 | 156 | #13 | 21,728 |
| 1941 | #713 | 97 | #16 | 15,935 |
| 1940 | #790 | 80 | #18 | 13,228 |
| 1939 | #763 | 81 | #18 | 10,828 |
| 1938 | #931 | 58 | #21 | 9,077 |
| 1937 | #1,035 | 47 | #27 | 7,094 |
| 1936 | #1,115 | 40 | #33 | 5,800 |
| 1935 | #1,264 | 32 | #41 | 4,906 |
| 1934 | #1,697 | 20 | #47 | 4,108 |
| 1933 | #1,442 | 26 | #53 | 3,549 |
| 1932 | #1,754 | 20 | #54 | 3,607 |
| 1931 | #1,549 | 24 | #55 | 3,489 |
| 1930 | #1,251 | 36 | #54 | 3,543 |
| 1929 | #1,306 | 33 | #54 | 3,464 |
| 1928 | #1,338 | 33 | #53 | 3,598 |
| 1927 | #1,523 | 29 | #52 | 3,605 |
| 1926 | #1,414 | 32 | #56 | 3,485 |
| 1925 | #1,376 | 34 | #55 | 3,761 |
| 1924 | #1,354 | 36 | #54 | 3,874 |
| 1923 | #1,520 | 29 | #50 | 3,915 |
| 1922 | #1,464 | 31 | #48 | 3,990 |
| 1921 | #1,765 | 24 | #47 | 4,198 |
| 1920 | #1,816 | 22 | #50 | 4,003 |
| 1919 | #1,649 | 24 | #46 | 3,909 |
| 1918 | #1,411 | 30 | #45 | 4,296 |
| 1917 | #2,552 | 12 | #44 | 4,288 |
| 1916 | #1,867 | 18 | #44 | 4,210 |
| 1915 | #2,143 | 14 | #43 | 4,079 |
| 1914 | #1,665 | 16 | #40 | 3,362 |
| 1913 | #1,766 | 12 | #40 | 2,607 |
| 1912 | #2,144 | 8 | #42 | 2,104 |
| 1911 | #1,956 | 7 | #38 | 1,159 |
| 1910 | #1,634 | 9 | #45 | 844 |
| 1909 | #1,763 | 7 | #47 | 635 |
| 1908 | — | #44 | 688 | |
| 1907 | — | #48 | 586 | |
| 1906 | #1,951 | 5 | #46 | 531 |
| 1905 | — | #45 | 513 | |
| 1904 | — | #50 | 462 | |
| 1903 | — | #47 | 466 | |
| 1902 | — | #48 | 460 | |
| 1901 | — | #52 | 384 | |
| 1900 | — | #51 | 495 | |
| 1899 | — | #51 | 375 | |
| 1898 | — | #51 | 434 | |
| 1897 | #1,263 | 7 | #57 | 368 |
| 1896 | — | #53 | 399 | |
| 1895 | — | #52 | 413 | |
| 1894 | — | #50 | 423 | |
| 1893 | — | #49 | 407 | |
| 1892 | — | #59 | 380 | |
| 1891 | — | #54 | 333 | |
| 1890 | — | #48 | 394 | |
| 1889 | — | #51 | 377 | |
| 1888 | — | #46 | 466 | |
| 1887 | — | #48 | 344 | |
| 1886 | — | #53 | 348 | |
| 1885 | — | #46 | 370 | |
| 1884 | — | #51 | 373 | |
| 1883 | — | #55 | 307 | |
| 1882 | — | #57 | 321 | |
| 1881 | — | #54 | 298 | |
| 1880 | — | #46 | 354 | |
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.
See more about Michael
- 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)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1957 at #1 (92,781 births)
- Births halved by 1994, 37 yrs later
- Top 10: 74 yrs · run 1943–2016
- Top 100: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
- Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
- 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
- 18.9% of all boys named Michael (837,471) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,558 | #46 (1888) | #51 |
| 1890s | 3,926 | #48 (1890) | #52 |
| 1900s | 5,220 | #44 (1908) | #48 |
| 1910s | 30,858 | #38 (1911) | #43 |
| 1920s | 37,893 | #47 (1921) | #52 |
| 1930s | 56,001 | #18 (1939) | #40 |
| 1940s | 336,568 | #5 (1949) | #10 |
| 1950s | 837,471 | #1 (1957) | #2 |
| 1960s | 833,092 | #1 (1961) | #1 |
| 1970s | 707,327 | #1 (1970) | #1 |
| 1980s | 663,807 | #1 (1981) | #1 |
| 1990s | 462,466 | #1 (1990) | #1 |
| 2000s | 250,715 | #2 (2000) | #2 |
| 2010s | 145,220 | #3 (2010) | #9 |
| 2020s | 52,631 | #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 1985
Top girls' names in 1985
Top boys' names in 1985
More about 1985
girls
1,720,828 girls got a published name in 1985; 1 in 3,241 of them was named Michael, which outranked 96.6% of the 12,505 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 18.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,848,210 boys got a published name in 1985; 1 in 28 of them was named Michael, which outranked 100.0% of the 7,586 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
- #1Michael64,934
- #2Christopher59,609
- #3Matthew47,075
- #4Joshua42,194
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.