Michal
Michal is given to both girls and boys: 33 girls and 15 boys were given it in 2025 (#4,319 among girls’ names and #6,046 among boys’, #5,798 among all names counting both); 7,813 Americans have been recorded with it since 1911 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Boys have outnumbered girls among babies named Michal every year since 2005.
An estimated 6,840 Americans named Michal and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (88% of everyone recorded); the median is 38 years old and half are between 23 and 54.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Michal by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Michal mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Michal is “a female given name from Hebrew.” Its etymology gives the sense “Michal” (מִיכַל).
From Hebrew מִיכַל (mikhál, “Michal”).
/miˈxɑl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Michal?
#4,319 among girls’ names, 2025
Michal fell from #3,958 in 2015 to #4,319 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 21.3 to 20.5 per million.
158 babies in 1985, the peak
Michal peaked in 1985, when 158 babies were given it (90 girls, #1,421 among girls’ names). The 48 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 30% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33 | #4,319 | 15 | #6,046 |
| 2024 | 44 | #3,558 | 9 | #8,749 |
| 2023 | 42 | #3,689 | 5 | #13,496 |
| 2022 | 41 | #3,748 | 19 | #5,152 |
| 2021 | 31 | #4,470 | 18 | #5,266 |
| 2020 | 37 | #3,887 | 17 | #5,390 |
| 2019 | 31 | #4,508 | 12 | #7,034 |
| 2018 | 36 | #4,051 | 16 | #5,697 |
| 2017 | 49 | #3,285 | 12 | #6,968 |
| 2016 | 54 | #3,088 | 22 | #4,575 |
Every recorded year (103)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 38 | #3,958 | 19 | #4,999 |
| 2014 | 43 | #3,635 | 22 | #4,482 |
| 2013 | 35 | #4,217 | 32 | #3,380 |
| 2012 | 37 | #4,089 | 26 | #3,967 |
| 2011 | 60 | #2,888 | 38 | #3,028 |
| 2010 | 51 | #3,237 | 41 | #2,904 |
| 2009 | 48 | #3,443 | 48 | #2,612 |
| 2008 | 50 | #3,360 | 57 | #2,314 |
| 2007 | 44 | #3,702 | 57 | #2,294 |
| 2006 | 40 | #3,834 | 63 | #2,091 |
| 2005 | 48 | #3,242 | 60 | #2,068 |
| 2004 | 65 | #2,575 | 62 | #1,965 |
| 2003 | 46 | #3,212 | 59 | #1,973 |
| 2002 | 57 | #2,692 | 47 | #2,236 |
| 2001 | 58 | #2,617 | 47 | #2,206 |
| 2000 | 63 | #2,445 | 69 | #1,673 |
| 1999 | 61 | #2,413 | 63 | #1,678 |
| 1998 | 73 | #2,038 | 66 | #1,592 |
| 1997 | 65 | #2,146 | 58 | #1,698 |
| 1996 | 73 | #1,953 | 66 | #1,525 |
| 1995 | 60 | #2,226 | 43 | #1,972 |
| 1994 | 74 | #1,919 | 69 | #1,411 |
| 1993 | 52 | #2,431 | 63 | #1,482 |
| 1992 | 67 | #2,043 | 40 | #1,987 |
| 1991 | 59 | #2,224 | 58 | #1,514 |
| 1990 | 69 | #1,978 | 69 | #1,340 |
| 1989 | 61 | #2,058 | 52 | #1,556 |
| 1988 | 82 | #1,594 | 58 | #1,364 |
| 1987 | 64 | #1,828 | 57 | #1,308 |
| 1986 | 57 | #1,944 | 47 | #1,467 |
| 1985 | 90 | #1,421 | 68 | #1,129 |
| 1984 | 74 | #1,548 | 41 | #1,520 |
| 1983 | 69 | #1,621 | 46 | #1,389 |
| 1982 | 57 | #1,892 | 49 | #1,348 |
| 1981 | 72 | #1,624 | 49 | #1,353 |
| 1980 | 59 | #1,859 | 34 | #1,715 |
| 1979 | 68 | #1,655 | 32 | #1,773 |
| 1978 | 62 | #1,700 | 26 | #1,947 |
| 1977 | 62 | #1,690 | 38 | #1,501 |
| 1976 | 85 | #1,292 | 53 | #1,186 |
| 1975 | 53 | #1,767 | 46 | #1,272 |
| 1974 | 52 | #1,751 | 45 | #1,263 |
| 1973 | 41 | #1,997 | 36 | #1,422 |
| 1972 | 35 | #2,205 | 56 | #1,093 |
| 1971 | 30 | #2,523 | 34 | #1,488 |
| 1970 | 29 | #2,558 | 44 | #1,258 |
| 1969 | 32 | #2,283 | 45 | #1,179 |
| 1968 | 23 | #2,682 | 51 | #1,041 |
| 1967 | 29 | #2,252 | 41 | #1,175 |
| 1966 | 29 | #2,230 | 48 | #1,067 |
| 1965 | 28 | #2,277 | 45 | #1,121 |
| 1964 | 36 | #1,997 | 35 | #1,342 |
| 1963 | 35 | #2,002 | 41 | #1,220 |
| 1962 | 27 | #2,343 | 38 | #1,268 |
| 1961 | 16 | #3,280 | 71 | #909 |
| 1960 | 26 | #2,351 | 52 | #1,078 |
| 1959 | 21 | #2,565 | 68 | #936 |
| 1958 | 28 | #2,146 | 54 | #1,044 |
| 1957 | 22 | #2,467 | 64 | #952 |
| 1956 | 34 | #1,857 | 69 | #902 |
| 1955 | 35 | #1,789 | 59 | #981 |
| 1954 | 33 | #1,818 | 66 | #911 |
| 1953 | 36 | #1,664 | 52 | #1,009 |
| 1952 | 38 | #1,570 | 59 | #928 |
| 1951 | 37 | #1,569 | 46 | #1,059 |
| 1950 | 41 | #1,443 | 37 | #1,197 |
| 1949 | 58 | #1,198 | 44 | #1,068 |
| 1948 | 26 | #1,889 | 39 | #1,154 |
| 1947 | 45 | #1,388 | 30 | #1,353 |
| 1946 | 37 | #1,457 | 26 | #1,400 |
| 1945 | 30 | #1,504 | 17 | #1,675 |
| 1944 | 26 | #1,648 | 21 | #1,511 |
| 1943 | 63 | #1,001 | 17 | #1,806 |
| 1942 | 81 | #856 | 13 | #2,112 |
| 1941 | 5 | #4,857 | 14 | #1,971 |
| 1940 | 8 | #3,418 | 9 | #2,613 |
| 1939 | 5 | #4,724 | under 5 | |
| 1938 | 5 | #4,779 | under 5 | |
| 1928 | under 5 | 8 | #3,269 | |
| 1927 | under 5 | 8 | #3,350 | |
| 1925 | under 5 | 7 | #3,626 | |
| 1924 | under 5 | 5 | #4,756 | |
| 1923 | under 5 | 7 | #3,699 | |
| 1920 | under 5 | 9 | #3,127 | |
| 1919 | under 5 | 10 | #2,804 | |
| 1918 | under 5 | 12 | #2,485 | |
| 1917 | under 5 | 8 | #3,118 | |
| 1916 | under 5 | 6 | #3,752 | |
| 1915 | under 5 | 6 | #3,697 | |
| 1914 | under 5 | 10 | #2,215 | |
| 1913 | under 5 | 5 | #3,110 | |
| 1912 | under 5 | 7 | #2,185 | |
| 1911 | under 5 | 5 | #1,921 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Michal a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 7,813 Americans recorded as Michal, 52% are girls and 48% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Michal: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Michal, and how old are they?
6,840 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 88% of the 7,813 Americans ever recorded as Michal. The median Michal alive today is 38 years old; half are between 23 and 54.
The 2020 Census counted 10,276 people named Michal (4,109 women and girls, 6,167 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 6,789 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.5 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 147 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,120 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,260 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 1,880 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,700 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 727 |
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 Michal born?
The states with the most babies named Michal are New York, Illinois and California, with 77% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 990 | #2,307 | 1.7× |
| Illinois | 487 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| California | 451 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| New Jersey | 222 | #461 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 167 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| Ohio | 50 | not ranked | 0.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 39 | not ranked | 0.1× |
| Florida | 26 | not ranked | 0.1× |
| Maryland | 16 | not ranked | 0.1× |
| Michigan | 11 | not ranked | 0.0× |
Where Michal is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Michal is most over-represented in New York: since 1911 it was given 1.7 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 girls’ 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 Michal 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 3 names spelled alike, given to 15,461 babies since 1880, Michal is the most given (51% of them). In 2025 it was given to 48 of their 55 babies (87%), 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 Michal
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
| Name | Recorded | 1910-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Tanis | 1,529 |
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 Michal and names like it
- Compare Michal and MichellBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1980sMichal peaked in 1985.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Michal since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Michal: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1985The year the most babies were named Michal.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Michal alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with MMost given first.