Michael vs Emily

Side-by-side comparison of Michael and Emily — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Michael

Boy name · Rank #18

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Name B

Emily

Girl name · Rank #25

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Michael Emily
Current Rank #18 #25
Total Births (all years) 4,418,526 890,970
Peak Year 1957 1999
Peak Year Births 92,786 26,542
Peak Decade 1950ss 1990ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Michael Emily
1880ss 3,558 3,368
1890ss 3,926 5,476
1900ss 5,220 6,423
1910ss 30,859 17,069
1920ss 37,894 18,754
1930ss 56,000 11,916
1940ss 336,564 13,409
1950ss 837,466 12,840
1960ss 833,070 12,334
1970ss 707,368 46,843
1980ss 663,824 131,770
1990ss 462,451 237,260
2000ss 250,702 223,755
2010ss 145,171 117,626
2020ss 44,453 32,127

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Michael Emily
2014 15,496 12,667
2015 14,497 11,806
2016 14,139 11,004
2017 12,723 9,813
2018 11,750 8,716
2019 10,614 8,256
2020 9,824 6,914
2021 9,136 6,591
2022 8,888 6,495
2023 8,416 6,172
2024 8,189 5,955

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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