Michael vs Mary

Side-by-side comparison of Michael and Mary — 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

Mary

Girl name · Rank #132

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Michael Mary
Current Rank #18 #132
Total Births (all years) 4,418,526 4,139,160
Peak Year 1957 1921
Peak Year Births 92,786 73,984
Peak Decade 1950ss 1920ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Michael Mary
1880ss 3,558 91,668
1890ss 3,926 131,138
1900ss 5,220 161,504
1910ss 30,859 478,636
1920ss 37,894 701,756
1930ss 56,000 572,997
1940ss 336,564 640,070
1950ss 837,466 625,609
1960ss 833,070 355,238
1970ss 707,368 126,254
1980ss 663,824 95,862
1990ss 462,451 75,713
2000ss 250,702 46,310
2010ss 145,171 25,683
2020ss 44,453 10,722

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Michael Mary
2014 15,496 2,636
2015 14,497 2,642
2016 14,139 2,526
2017 12,723 2,424
2018 11,750 2,369
2019 10,614 2,239
2020 9,824 2,229
2021 9,136 2,100
2022 8,888 2,116
2023 8,416 2,081
2024 8,189 2,196

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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