Michelle vs Michael

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

Name A

Michelle

Girl name · Rank #409

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Name B

Michael

Boy name · Rank #18

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Michelle Michael
Current Rank #409 #18
Total Births (all years) 815,849 4,418,526
Peak Year 1969 1957
Peak Year Births 34,319 92,786
Peak Decade 1970ss 1950ss
Gender Girl Boy
First Recorded Year 1915 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Michelle Michael
1880ss — 3,558
1890ss — 3,926
1900ss — 5,220
1910ss 17 30,859
1920ss 97 37,894
1930ss 293 56,000
1940ss 5,693 336,564
1950ss 46,779 837,466
1960ss 208,296 833,070
1970ss 249,136 707,368
1980ss 154,032 663,824
1990ss 86,529 462,451
2000ss 43,538 250,702
2010ss 17,354 145,171
2020ss 4,085 44,453

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Michelle Michael
2014 1,751 15,496
2015 1,705 14,497
2016 1,562 14,139
2017 1,428 12,723
2018 1,249 11,750
2019 1,144 10,614
2020 923 9,824
2021 798 9,136
2022 827 8,888
2023 765 8,416
2024 772 8,189

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, 1915–2024.

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