Total births
4,031
Unisex name · since 1938
Michal
4,031 babies named Michal in U.S. Social Security records since 1938, with the highest year being 1985. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3532
- among girls today
- 4,031
- born since 1938
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
Michal currently ranks #3532 among unisex names in America, with 4,031 babies recorded since 1938.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Michal has been recorded 4,031 times among girls since 1938, currently ranked #3532 nationally and more common than 80% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1938 to 2025.
- #3532 among girls today
- 4,031 born since 1938
- 1980s peak decade
- 80% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Michal is currently the #3532 unisex name in America, more common than 80% of girls - 4,031 born since 1938, peaking in the 1980s.
- #3532
- among girls today
- 4,031
- born since 1938
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
Michal vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3532
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 80% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Michal was born in this single decade.
1985
Single peak year
90 babies were named Michal in 1985 - its busiest year on record.
How Michal compares
4,031 Top 15% higher than 85% 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
Michal's all-time total is 11x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Michal | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,031 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 90 | 48 | 19,840 |
Michal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Michal's full recorded timeline at 1982, 59% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 41% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1938, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1985 peak of 90 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Michal at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1985
Current rank
#3,532
Active since
1938
Michal popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1938–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 90
- Annual births at peak, across 88 years of records
Michal popularity over time - boys
3,782 total births recorded since 1911 (Michal as boys' name)
Michal by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Michal's strongest decade.
685 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Michal births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 10
1930s
10 births
- 1940s
1940s
379 births
- 1950s
1950s
325 births
- 1960s
1960s
281 births
- 1970s
1970s
517 births
- 1980s
1980s
685 births
- 1990s
1990s
653 births
- 2000s
2000s
519 births
- 2010s
2010s
434 births
- 2020s 228
2020s
228 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 685 births (17% of all-time use).
How Michal 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 Michal's total volume
Michal vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Michal by state
Where Michal concentrates geographically, total births since 1938
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 739 | 18.3% |
| #2 | California | | 290 | 7.2% |
| #3 | New Jersey | | 174 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Texas | | 101 | 2.5% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 39 | 1.0% |
| #6 | Maryland | | 16 | 0.4% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 13 | 0.3% |
| #8 | Florida | | 10 | 0.2% |
New York share of Michal's total US births 18.3%
Even split
739 of 4,031 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 15 reporting states.
Michal appears in 15 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Michal? ▼
Michal has been given to 4,031 babies in the U.S. since 1938, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #3532 as of the latest data. 90 babies were born in 1985, its single highest year.
When was Michal most popular? ▼
Michal was most popular in the 1980s decade with 685 total births. The single peak year was 1985.
Where is Michal most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Michal are New York (739 births), California (290 births), New Jersey (174 births).
Is Michal a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Michal is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 4,031 births, and as a boy's name it has 3,782 births.
How long has the name Michal been used? ▼
Records for Michal go back to 1938, giving 88 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Michal? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Michelle, Michele, Michaela, Michael, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Michal's data
- Michal's decade-level peak was the 1980s (685 total births); usage has since declined to 228 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Michals (739 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Michal
Nearby Names Like Michal
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Michal
Michelle Girl
#409 816,510 births
Michele Girl
#4124 223,299 births
Michaela Girl
#742 53,633 births
Michael Girl
#6941 21,880 births
Micaela Girl
#1118 14,977 births
Compare Michal side by side: Michal vs Michelle Michal vs Michele Michal vs Michaela
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Michal
Marlen #3531
5,512 births · Peak 2007
Bronwyn #3533
3,729 births · Peak 1964
Marlena #3530
11,321 births · Peak 1978
Lark #3534
1,862 births · Peak 1950
Harlan #3529
499 births · Peak 2023
Maleia #3535
1,187 births · Peak 2023
Juliett #3528
977 births · Peak 2025
Larkin #3536
2,019 births · Peak 2006
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, 1938–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Michal: #3532 Unisex Name - 4,031 Births, Peak 1985." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/michal. 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 Michal 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.