Total births
53,633
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.
- #742
- among girls today
- 53,633
- born since 1921
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Michaela currently ranks #742 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 #742 nationally and more common than 96% 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.
- #742 among girls today
- 53,633 born since 1921
- 1990s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Michaela is currently the #742 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 53,633 born since 1921, peaking in the 1990s.
- #742
- among girls today
- 53,633
- born since 1921
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Michaela vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#742
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
43% of everyone ever named Michaela was born in this single decade.
1997
Single peak year
3,398 babies were named Michaela in 1997 - its busiest year on record.
How Michaela compares
53,633 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 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 140x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Michaela | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 53,633 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,398 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1997
Current rank
#742
Active since
1921
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
California share of Michaela's total US births 9.5%
Even split
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? ▼
Michaela has been given to 53,633 babies in the U.S. since 1921, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #742 as of the latest data. 3,398 babies were born in 1997, its single highest year.
When was Michaela most popular? ▼
Michaela was most popular in the 1990s decade with 23,173 total births. The single peak year was 1997.
Where is Michaela most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Michaela are California (5,104 births), New York (3,300 births), Texas (3,270 births).
How long has the name Michaela been used? ▼
Michaela has been recorded in Social Security data since 1921, spanning 105 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Michaela? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Michelle, Michele, Michael, Micaela, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Michelle Girl
#409 816,510 births
Michele Girl
#4124 223,299 births
Michael Girl
#6941 21,880 births
Micaela Girl
#1118 14,977 births
Micah Girl
#840 14,035 births
Compare Michaela side by side: Michaela vs Michelle Michaela vs Michele Michaela vs Michael
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Michaela
Lara #741
30,168 births · Peak 1969
Novalee #743
4,567 births · Peak 2024
Mckinley #740
13,098 births · Peak 2014
Birdie #744
14,708 births · Peak 2025
Fallon #739
11,634 births · Peak 1982
Lacey #745
53,774 births · Peak 1984
Marisol #738
35,041 births · Peak 1996
Kensley #746
8,948 births · Peak 2018
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Michaela: #742 Girls' Name - 53,633 Births, Peak 1997." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/michaela. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.