Girls' name · since 1921
Michaela
Michaela has 53,633 recorded births since 1921 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1997 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #560 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #842 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 53,633
- born since 1921
- 1990s
- peak decade
Michaela currently ranks #842 among girls' names in America, with 53,633 babies recorded since 1921.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Michaela has been recorded 53,633 times among girls since 1921, currently ranked #842 nationally and more common than 95% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1921 to 2025.
- #560 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #842 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 53,633 born since 1921
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Michaela ranks #560 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #842 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 53,633 born since 1921, peaking in the 1990s.
- #560 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #842 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 53,633
- born since 1921
- 1990s
- peak decade
Michaela's 53,633 recorded births place it above 99.22% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Michaela compares
53,633 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Michaela's all-time total is 143x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Michaela | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 53,633 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,398 | 21 | 19,840 |
Michaela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Michaela splits its recorded history at 1979: 94% of all births land in the more recent half, 6% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1921 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1997 peak of 3,398 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Michaela popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1921–2025
- Peak year (1997)
- 3,398
- Annual births at peak, across 105 years of records
Michaela popularity over time - boys
69 total births recorded since 1966 (Michaela as boys' name)
Michaela by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (23,173 births, 43% of the file).
1990s was Michaela's strongest decade.
23,173 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Michaela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 17
1920s
17 births
- 1930s 58
1930s
58 births
- 1940s 273
1940s
273 births
- 1950s 640
1950s
640 births
- 1960s 931
1960s
931 births
- 1970s 1,455
1970s
1,455 births
- 1980s 4,614
1980s
4,614 births
- 1990s
1990s
23,173 births
- 2000s
2000s
13,086 births
- 2010s 6,737
2010s
6,737 births
- 2020s 2,649
2020s
2,649 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 23,173 births (43% of all-time use).
How Michaela compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Michaela's total volume
Michaela by state
Where Michaela concentrates geographically, total births since 1921
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5,104 | 9.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 3,300 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Texas | | 3,270 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 2,310 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 2,233 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Florida | | 2,185 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 2,132 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 1,895 | 3.5% |
5,104 of 53,633 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Michaela appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Michaela? ▼
Where does Michaela sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Michaela most popular? ▼
Where is Michaela most popular? ▼
How long has the name Michaela been used? ▼
What names are similar to Michaela? ▼
What to do with Michaela's data
- Michaela's decade-level peak was the 1990s (23,173 total births); usage has since declined to 2,649 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Michaelas (5,104 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Michaela
Nearby Names Like Michaela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Michaela
Compare Michaela side by side: Michaela vs Michelle Michaela vs Michele Michaela vs Michael
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Michaela
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Michaela: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1997)
Similar record span (~104 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, 1921–2025 (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 Michaela 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.