Michael
Michael was given to 8,094 boys in 2025, #21 among boys’ names; 4,448,633 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 3.56 million Americans named Michael and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (80% of everyone recorded); the median is 51 years old and half are between 36 and 64.
Michael is the #1 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Michael by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Michael mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Michael is “a male given name from Hebrew.” Its etymology gives the sense “who is like God?” (literally).
From Middle English Michael, from Old French Michel, Old English Michahel, from their source Latin Michaēl, Michāhēl, from Ancient Greek Μῐχᾱήλ (Mĭkhāḗl), from Biblical Hebrew מִיכָאֵל (mîḵāʾēl, literally “who is like God?”). Doublet of Miguel and Mikhail.
/ˈmaɪkəl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Michael?
#21 among boys’ names, 2025
Michael fell from #9 in 2015 to #21 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 7.6 to 4.7 per 1,000.
93,036 babies in 1957, the peak
Michael peaked in 1957, when 93,036 babies were given it (92,781 boys, #1 among boys’ names). The 8,107 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 9% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,094 | #21 | 4.7 |
| 2024 | 8,229 | #18 | 4.8 |
| 2023 | 8,430 | #16 | 4.9 |
| 2022 | 8,895 | #16 | 5.1 |
| 2021 | 9,150 | #17 | 5.2 |
| 2020 | 9,833 | #12 | 5.7 |
| 2019 | 10,619 | #14 | 5.9 |
| 2018 | 11,756 | #14 | 6.5 |
| 2017 | 12,726 | #12 | 6.9 |
| 2016 | 14,145 | #8 | 7.5 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 14,504 | #9 | 7.6 |
| 2014 | 15,505 | #7 | 8.1 |
| 2013 | 15,544 | #7 | 8.2 |
| 2012 | 16,211 | #7 | 8.5 |
| 2011 | 16,823 | #6 | 8.9 |
| 2010 | 17,387 | #3 | 9.1 |
| 2009 | 18,964 | #3 | 9.6 |
| 2008 | 20,652 | #2 | 10.1 |
| 2007 | 22,027 | #2 | 10.6 |
| 2006 | 22,653 | #2 | 11.0 |
| 2005 | 23,828 | #2 | 11.9 |
| 2004 | 25,470 | #2 | 12.8 |
| 2003 | 27,129 | #2 | 13.7 |
| 2002 | 28,258 | #2 | 14.6 |
| 2001 | 29,689 | #2 | 15.3 |
| 2000 | 32,045 | #2 | 16.3 |
| 1999 | 33,915 | #2 | 17.7 |
| 1998 | 36,618 | #1 | 19.2 |
| 1997 | 37,562 | #1 | 19.9 |
| 1996 | 38,373 | #1 | 20.3 |
| 1995 | 41,409 | #1 | 21.8 |
| 1994 | 44,477 | #1 | 23.0 |
| 1993 | 49,571 | #1 | 25.3 |
| 1992 | 54,410 | #1 | 27.2 |
| 1991 | 60,810 | #1 | 30.1 |
| 1990 | 65,321 | #1 | 31.8 |
| 1989 | 65,415 | #1 | 32.7 |
| 1988 | 64,171 | #1 | 33.5 |
| 1987 | 63,664 | #1 | 34.1 |
| 1986 | 64,235 | #1 | 34.9 |
| 1985 | 64,934 | #1 | 35.1 |
| 1984 | 67,735 | #1 | 37.5 |
| 1983 | 68,004 | #1 | 37.9 |
| 1982 | 68,216 | #1 | 37.6 |
| 1981 | 68,750 | #1 | 38.4 |
| 1980 | 68,683 | #1 | 38.5 |
| 1979 | 67,713 | #1 | 39.3 |
| 1978 | 67,127 | #1 | 40.9 |
| 1977 | 67,587 | #1 | 41.1 |
| 1976 | 66,915 | #1 | 42.6 |
| 1975 | 68,418 | #1 | 43.8 |
| 1974 | 67,534 | #1 | 43.0 |
| 1973 | 67,797 | #1 | 43.5 |
| 1972 | 71,393 | #1 | 44.0 |
| 1971 | 77,577 | #1 | 43.9 |
| 1970 | 85,266 | #1 | 45.9 |
| 1969 | 85,162 | #1 | 47.6 |
| 1968 | 81,968 | #1 | 47.2 |
| 1967 | 82,411 | #1 | 47.3 |
| 1966 | 79,985 | #1 | 44.8 |
| 1965 | 80,992 | #1 | 43.5 |
| 1964 | 82,617 | #1 | 41.5 |
| 1963 | 83,771 | #1 | 41.2 |
| 1962 | 85,059 | #1 | 41.1 |
| 1961 | 86,974 | #1 | 40.9 |
| 1960 | 84,153 | #2 | 39.5 |
| 1959 | 85,294 | #1 | 40.0 |
| 1958 | 90,604 | #1 | 42.7 |
| 1957 | 92,781 | #1 | 43.0 |
| 1956 | 90,691 | #1 | 42.9 |
| 1955 | 88,355 | #1 | 42.9 |
| 1954 | 88,568 | #1 | 43.4 |
| 1953 | 84,198 | #3 | 42.7 |
| 1952 | 79,037 | #4 | 40.7 |
| 1951 | 72,807 | #4 | 38.7 |
| 1950 | 65,136 | #4 | 36.4 |
| 1949 | 60,047 | #5 | 33.8 |
| 1948 | 52,566 | #6 | 30.0 |
| 1947 | 50,506 | #7 | 27.6 |
| 1946 | 41,194 | #7 | 25.4 |
| 1945 | 29,902 | #9 | 22.2 |
| 1944 | 26,717 | #9 | 19.6 |
| 1943 | 24,745 | #10 | 17.3 |
| 1942 | 21,728 | #13 | 15.7 |
| 1941 | 15,935 | #16 | 13.0 |
| 1940 | 13,228 | #18 | 11.4 |
| 1939 | 10,828 | #18 | 9.8 |
| 1938 | 9,077 | #21 | 8.2 |
| 1937 | 7,094 | #27 | 6.7 |
| 1936 | 5,800 | #33 | 5.6 |
| 1935 | 4,906 | #41 | 4.7 |
| 1934 | 4,108 | #47 | 4.0 |
| 1933 | 3,549 | #53 | 3.6 |
| 1932 | 3,607 | #54 | 3.5 |
| 1931 | 3,489 | #55 | 3.4 |
| 1930 | 3,543 | #54 | 3.2 |
| 1929 | 3,464 | #54 | 3.2 |
| 1928 | 3,598 | #53 | 3.2 |
| 1927 | 3,605 | #52 | 3.2 |
| 1926 | 3,485 | #56 | 3.1 |
| 1925 | 3,761 | #55 | 3.4 |
| 1924 | 3,874 | #54 | 3.4 |
| 1923 | 3,915 | #50 | 3.6 |
| 1922 | 3,990 | #48 | 3.7 |
| 1921 | 4,198 | #47 | 3.8 |
| 1920 | 4,003 | #50 | 3.8 |
| 1919 | 3,909 | #46 | 4.0 |
| 1918 | 4,296 | #45 | 4.2 |
| 1917 | 4,288 | #44 | 4.6 |
| 1916 | 4,210 | #44 | 4.7 |
| 1915 | 4,079 | #43 | 4.8 |
| 1914 | 3,362 | #40 | 5.1 |
| 1913 | 2,607 | #40 | 5.1 |
| 1912 | 2,104 | #42 | 4.9 |
| 1911 | 1,159 | #38 | 5.1 |
| 1910 | 844 | #45 | 4.3 |
| 1909 | 635 | #47 | 3.9 |
| 1908 | 688 | #44 | 4.5 |
| 1907 | 586 | #48 | 4.0 |
| 1906 | 531 | #46 | 4.0 |
| 1905 | 513 | #45 | 3.9 |
| 1904 | 462 | #50 | 3.6 |
| 1903 | 466 | #47 | 3.9 |
| 1902 | 460 | #48 | 3.8 |
| 1901 | 384 | #52 | 3.6 |
| 1900 | 495 | #51 | 3.3 |
| 1899 | 375 | #51 | 3.5 |
| 1898 | 434 | #52 | 3.5 |
| 1897 | 368 | #57 | 3.3 |
| 1896 | 399 | #53 | 3.3 |
| 1895 | 413 | #52 | 3.5 |
| 1894 | 423 | #51 | 3.7 |
| 1893 | 407 | #49 | 3.6 |
| 1892 | 380 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 1891 | 333 | #55 | 3.3 |
| 1890 | 394 | #48 | 3.5 |
| 1889 | 377 | #51 | 3.4 |
| 1888 | 466 | #46 | 3.9 |
| 1887 | 344 | #48 | 3.4 |
| 1886 | 348 | #53 | 3.1 |
| 1885 | 370 | #47 | 3.4 |
| 1884 | 373 | #51 | 3.3 |
| 1883 | 307 | #55 | 2.9 |
| 1882 | 321 | #57 | 2.8 |
| 1881 | 298 | #54 | 3.0 |
| 1880 | 354 | #46 | 3.2 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Michael a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Michael has been given almost only to boys: 21,880 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Michael: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Michael, and how old are they?
3.56 million alive in 2026, estimated
That is 80% of the 4,448,633 Americans ever recorded as Michael. The median Michael alive today is 51 years old; half are between 36 and 64.
The 2020 Census counted 3,476,721 people named Michael (7,287 women and girls, 3,469,434 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 3,725,568 born in the U.S. The Census count is 7% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 59,100 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 994,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1.05 million |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 906,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 403,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 147,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Michael born?
The states with the most babies named Michael are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 26% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 443,037 | #13 | 1.3× |
| California | 438,536 | #26 | 1.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 273,317 | #10 | 1.2× |
| Illinois | 258,362 | #15 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 238,109 | #33 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 231,162 | #17 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 199,395 | #19 | 1.1× |
| New Jersey | 171,113 | #7 | 1.3× |
| Florida | 148,527 | #20 | 1.0× |
| Massachusetts | 146,380 | #22 | 1.2× |
Where Michael is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Michael is most over-represented in New Jersey: since 1910 it was given 1.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Michael with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 4,626,819 babies since 1880, Michael is the most given (96% of them). In 2025 it was given to 8,107 of their 8,289 babies (98%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Michael
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Michael and names like it
- Compare Michael and MichealBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sMichael peaked in 1957.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Michael since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Michael: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1957The year the most babies were named Michael.
- The names of Generation XMost people named Michael alive today were born 1965-1980.
- Names starting with MMost given first.