Boys' name · since 1880
Michael
Michael has 4,426,753 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1957 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #21 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,426,753
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Michael is the #21 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 4,426,753 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Michael has been recorded 4,426,753 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #21 nationally and more common than 99.8% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #4 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #21 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 4,426,753 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Michael ranks #4 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #21 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,426,753 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #4 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #21 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,426,753
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Michael's 4,426,753 recorded births place it above 99.99% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Michael compares
4,426,753 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Michael's all-time total is 11,997x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Michael | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,426,753 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 92,781 | 34 | 22,252 |
Michael's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Michael's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 84% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 16%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 298 births recorded -- set against the 1957 peak of 92,781, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Michael popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 92,781
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Michael popularity over time - girls
21,880 total births recorded since 1897 (Michael as girls' name)
Michael by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (837,471 births, 19% of the file).
1950s was Michael's strongest decade.
837,471 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Michael births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,558
1880s
3,558 births
- 1890s 3,926
1890s
3,926 births
- 1900s 5,220
1900s
5,220 births
- 1910s 30,858
1910s
30,858 births
- 1920s 37,893
1920s
37,893 births
- 1930s 56,001
1930s
56,001 births
- 1940s
1940s
336,568 births
- 1950s
1950s
837,471 births
- 1960s
1960s
833,092 births
- 1970s
1970s
707,327 births
- 1980s
1980s
663,807 births
- 1990s
1990s
462,466 births
- 2000s 250,715
2000s
250,715 births
- 2010s 145,220
2010s
145,220 births
- 2020s 52,631
2020s
52,631 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 837,471 births (19% of all-time use).
How Michael compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Michael's total volume
Michael by state
Where Michael concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 441,269 | 10.0% |
| #2 | California | | 436,105 | 9.9% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 272,409 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 257,375 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Texas | | 236,684 | 5.3% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 230,193 | 5.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 198,640 | 4.5% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 170,624 | 3.9% |
441,269 of 4,426,753 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Michael appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Michael? ▼
Where does Michael sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Michael most popular? ▼
Where is Michael most popular? ▼
How long has the name Michael been used? ▼
What names are similar to Michael? ▼
What to do with Michael's data
- Michael's decade-level peak was the 1950s (837,471 total births); usage has since declined to 52,631 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Michaels (441,269 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Michael
Nearby Names Like Michael
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Michael
Compare Michael side by side: Michael vs Micheal Michael vs Micah Michael vs Mickey
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Michael
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Michael: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1957)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Michael draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.