Boy nameCurrently #18 in the USFalling
Michael
MY-kul//ˈmaɪkəl//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19577 lettersStarts with M
Meaning & origin
Who is like God?
Michael comes from the Hebrew rhetorical question 'Mi ka El', meaning 'who is like God?', and in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition he is the powerful archangel who leads the heavenly armies. One of the most enduringly popular names in the English language for over half a century.
Michael's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Michael |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 354 |
| 1881 | 298 |
| 1882 | 321 |
| 1883 | 307 |
| 1884 | 373 |
| 1885 | 370 |
| 1886 | 348 |
| 1887 | 344 |
| 1888 | 466 |
| 1889 | 377 |
| 1890 | 394 |
| 1891 | 333 |
| 1892 | 380 |
| 1893 | 407 |
| 1894 | 423 |
| 1895 | 413 |
| 1896 | 399 |
| 1897 | 375 |
| 1898 | 434 |
| 1899 | 375 |
| 1900 | 495 |
| 1901 | 384 |
| 1902 | 460 |
| 1903 | 466 |
| 1904 | 462 |
| 1905 | 513 |
| 1906 | 536 |
| 1907 | 586 |
| 1908 | 688 |
| 1909 | 642 |
| 1910 | 853 |
| 1911 | 1,166 |
| 1912 | 2,112 |
| 1913 | 2,619 |
| 1914 | 3,378 |
| 1915 | 4,093 |
| 1916 | 4,228 |
| 1917 | 4,300 |
| 1918 | 4,326 |
| 1919 | 3,934 |
| 1920 | 4,025 |
| 1921 | 4,222 |
| 1922 | 4,021 |
| 1923 | 3,944 |
| 1924 | 3,910 |
| 1925 | 3,795 |
| 1926 | 3,517 |
| 1927 | 3,634 |
| 1928 | 3,631 |
| 1929 | 3,498 |
| 1930 | 3,578 |
| 1931 | 3,513 |
| 1932 | 3,627 |
| 1933 | 3,575 |
| 1934 | 4,128 |
| 1935 | 4,938 |
| 1936 | 5,840 |
| 1937 | 7,141 |
| 1938 | 9,134 |
| 1939 | 10,910 |
| 1940 | 13,308 |
| 1941 | 16,032 |
| 1942 | 21,884 |
| 1943 | 24,933 |
| 1944 | 26,885 |
| 1945 | 30,060 |
| 1946 | 41,361 |
| 1947 | 50,678 |
| 1948 | 52,736 |
| 1949 | 60,234 |
| 1950 | 65,317 |
| 1951 | 72,977 |
| 1952 | 79,229 |
| 1953 | 84,434 |
| 1954 | 88,781 |
| 1955 | 88,602 |
| 1956 | 90,929 |
| 1957 | 93,041 |
| 1958 | 90,893 |
| 1959 | 85,576 |
| 1960 | 84,455 |
| 1961 | 87,293 |
| 1962 | 85,411 |
| 1963 | 84,134 |
| 1964 | 82,922 |
| 1965 | 81,357 |
| 1966 | 80,330 |
| 1967 | 82,785 |
| 1968 | 82,445 |
| 1969 | 85,617 |
| 1970 | 85,728 |
| 1971 | 78,044 |
| 1972 | 71,843 |
| 1973 | 68,259 |
| 1974 | 68,060 |
| 1975 | 68,979 |
| 1976 | 67,432 |
| 1977 | 68,148 |
| 1978 | 67,678 |
| 1979 | 68,272 |
| 1980 | 69,233 |
| 1981 | 69,246 |
| 1982 | 68,804 |
| 1983 | 68,574 |
| 1984 | 68,249 |
| 1985 | 65,467 |
| 1986 | 64,826 |
| 1987 | 64,207 |
| 1988 | 64,648 |
| 1989 | 65,772 |
| 1990 | 65,595 |
| 1991 | 61,074 |
| 1992 | 54,667 |
| 1993 | 49,791 |
| 1994 | 44,667 |
| 1995 | 41,577 |
| 1996 | 38,530 |
| 1997 | 37,699 |
| 1998 | 36,747 |
| 1999 | 34,038 |
| 2000 | 32,157 |
| 2001 | 29,785 |
| 2002 | 28,353 |
| 2003 | 27,223 |
| 2004 | 25,618 |
| 2005 | 23,888 |
| 2006 | 22,715 |
| 2007 | 22,075 |
| 2008 | 20,706 |
| 2009 | 19,005 |
| 2010 | 17,418 |
| 2011 | 16,858 |
| 2012 | 16,236 |
| 2013 | 15,579 |
| 2014 | 15,531 |
| 2015 | 14,533 |
| 2016 | 14,173 |
| 2017 | 12,757 |
| 2018 | 11,770 |
| 2019 | 10,647 |
| 2020 | 9,848 |
| 2021 | 9,163 |
| 2022 | 8,907 |
| 2023 | 8,436 |
| 2024 | 8,204 |
Michael through the decades
- Michael peaked in 1957, when 93,041 babies were named Michael in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Michael has fallen 43% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Michael currently ranks #18 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
MikeMikey
Variants & spellings
MicheálMikhail
Famous people named Michael
- Michael Jordan — basketball player