Michelle

#465 for girls in 2025, 661 births · Last seen for boys in 2011 at #7,502
Given to girls 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1969 · 34,319 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
54 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
816,510
since 1915

Michelle over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201985peak #2, 1969girls
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#465661
2024#409775
2023#401766
2022#377827
2021#394799
2020#336923
2019#2921,144
2018#2631,249
2017#2151,429
2016#2091,562
2015#1921,706
2014#1881,751
2013#1681,892
2012#1621,935
2011#1442,180#7,50210
2010#1252,510#8,1399
2009#1043,078#10,9946
2008#1013,343#7,18711
2007#943,596#8,9158
2006#814,090#6,90411
2005#744,312#6,63411
2004#664,720#5,00716
2003#624,873#5,03515
2002#584,950#4,50217
2001#595,033#4,12119
2000#525,545#3,42324
1999#565,303#4,53715
1998#555,562#4,01917
1997#555,695#3,45520
1996#476,598#2,48331
1995#417,392#2,25335
1994#338,639#2,25935
1993#3110,193#1,74149
1992#2511,512#1,88443
1991#2212,213#1,57354
1990#2213,425#1,51656
1989#2213,376#1,10292
1988#2113,339#1,32960
1987#2113,034#1,11474
1986#2313,303#1,02881
1985#2213,973#1,12568
1984#1715,499#1,00079
1983#1316,838#97282
1982#1117,765#1,01380
1981#1117,781#91496
1980#1019,119#894100
1979#1019,266#1,02375
1978#918,856#94584
1977#719,540#93782
1976#619,550#91183
1975#622,665#780113
1974#325,826#771109
1973#326,935#745116
1972#229,285#688135
1971#233,160#676150
1970#434,047#734125
1969#234,319#673138
1968#233,223#660130
1967#330,827#705110
1966#427,159#75793
1965#1816,215#1,01253
1964#2316,180#1,17243
1963#2614,383#1,15145
1962#3113,353#1,34134
1961#3412,741#1,23341
1960#399,893#1,48629
1959#478,776#1,97417
1958#567,458#1,76620
1957#795,982#2,01916
1956#885,327#2,09115
1955#974,526#2,30212
1954#944,432#2,44911
1953#1073,631#2,7099
1952#1242,881#3,0957
1951#1512,133#2,49510
1950#1741,633
1949#2131,248#3,2986
1948#2301,044#3,6685
1947#248914#3,7335
1946#263755#3,5255
1945#307499
1944#341405
1943#373370
1942#482233
1941#612133
1940#72692
1939#91859
1938#95555
1937#1,19636
1936#1,34529
1935#1,41827
1934#1,51824
1933#1,36428
1932#2,83110
1931#2,42712
1930#2,42513
1929#2,19115
1928#2,95410
1927#2,69912
1926#2,87211
1925#2,48914
1924#2,97311
1923#4,3766
1922#3,3799
1921
1920#3,3409
1919#3,8177
1918#4,8095
1917
1916
1915#4,2745
1914
1913
1912
1911
1910
1909
1908
1907
1906
1905
1904
1903
1902
1901
1900
1899
1898
1897
1896
1895
1894
1893
1892
1891
1890
1889
1888
1887
1886
1885
1884
1883
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1915

The first year at least five girls were named Michelle! It came in at #4,274, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1915–1918, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

See more about Michelle
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 56 spots since 2024 (#409#465)
  • 129 spots since 2020 (#336#465)
  • 273 spots since 2015 (#192#465)
  • Biggest jump: 241 spots in 1938 (#1,196#955)
  • Biggest drop: 58 spots in 2021 (#336#394)
Rise & fade · girls
54 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1915
  • Peaked 1969 at #2 (34,319 births)
  • Births halved by 1983, 14 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 10 for 15 yrs
  • Top 10: 15 yrs · run 1966–1980
  • Top 100: 54 yrs · run 1954–2007
  • Top 1,000: 88 yrs · run 1938–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 49
  • Highest: 1 in 49 girls born in 1969 were named Michelle (2.0%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,432 girls born in 2025 (0.04%)
Era · girls
The 1970s
  • 30.5% of all girls named Michelle (249,130) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1910s17#3,817 (1919)#4,300
1920s97#2,191 (1929)#3,030
1930s293#918 (1939)#1,640
1940s5,693#213 (1949)#380
1950s46,779#47 (1959)#102
1960s208,293#2 (1969)#18
1970s249,130#2 (1971)#5
1980s154,027#10 (1980)#17
1990s86,532#22 (1990)#39
2000s43,540#52 (2000)#75
2010s17,358#125 (2010)#196
2020s4,751#336 (2020)#397

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Michelle in 1985

girls
#22
13,973 births · 1 in 123 girls
boys
#1,125
68 births · 1 in 27,180 boys

Top girls' names in 1985

  1. #1Jessica48,345
  2. #2Ashley47,010
  3. #3Jennifer42,661
  4. #4Amanda39,055
  5. #5Sarah24,879
  6. #6Stephanie23,243
  7. #7Nicole22,966
  8. #8Heather21,151
  9. #9Elizabeth20,545
  10. #10Megan20,013
  11. #22Michelle13,973

Top boys' names in 1985

  1. #1Michael64,934
  2. #2Christopher59,609
  3. #3Matthew47,075
  4. #4Joshua42,194
  5. #5Daniel38,559
  6. #6David38,522
  7. #7James35,862
  8. #8Robert32,094
  9. #9John31,502
  10. #10Joseph30,222
  11. #1,125Michelle68
More about 1985

girls

1,720,828 girls got a published name in 1985; 1 in 123 of them was named Michelle, which outranked 99.8% 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).

Ranked beside Michelle
  1. #19Kimberly14,914
  2. #20Amy14,429
  3. #21Crystal14,399
  4. #22Michelle13,973
  5. #23Tiffany13,681
  6. #24Emily13,144
  7. #25Rebecca12,705
Biggest movers since 1984
Risers
  1. 7,360Kayleigh#8,153#793
  2. 1,675Madison#2,299#624
  3. 1,167Cierra#1,633#466
  4. 1,002Ciera#1,703#701
  5. 787Krystina#1,332#545
Fallers
  1. 1,164Grisel#784#1,948
  2. 893Ciji#963#1,856
  3. 419Falon#914#1,333
  4. 364Alesia#969#1,333
  5. 362Echo#845#1,207

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

boys

1,848,210 boys got a published name in 1985; 1 in 27,180 of them was named Michelle, which outranked 85.2% 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).

Ranked beside Michelle
  1. #1,116Mikael69
  2. #1,116Rey69
  3. #1,116Tavaris69
  4. #1,125Michelle68
  5. #1,125Anson68
  6. #1,125Brien68
  7. #1,125Caesar68
  8. #1,133Anders67
  9. #1,133Britt67
  10. #1,133Bruno67

Tied with 7 names at #1,125; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1984
Risers
  1. 2,425Jaymes#3,270#845
  2. 977Trace#1,933#956
  3. 933Durrell#1,656#723
  4. 793Durell#1,399#606
  5. 562Brandyn#1,444#882
Fallers
  1. 420Anwar#951#1,371
  2. 345Zebulon#976#1,321
  3. 303Tavares#925#1,228
  4. 250Alonso#931#1,181
  5. 228Abdul#1,000#1,228

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

See the top 100 for 1985