Boys' name · peaked in 1969
Michael name popularity since 1925
4,384,780 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Michael. Half of them were born in 1971 or earlier, so the typical Michael is about 55 years old in 2026. Michael peaked in 1969 as the #1 name for boys, and it ranked #21 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 4,384,780
- Named Michael, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #21
- for boys in 2025 (8,094 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.5% boys
- 21,569 girls · 4,363,211 boys
- Most popular in
- Rhode Island
- 1.57× its national share
Peak year is the year Michael made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Michael births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1957. Measured as a share of all babies, Michael peaked in 1969.
- Fastest rise: Between 1934 and 1939, Michael became 2.5× more common.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Michael's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Michael.
Decade by decade
Babies named Michael in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 161 | 17,913 | – |
| 1930s | 384 | 56,001 | #41 |
| 1940s | 1,547 | 336,568 | #9 |
| 1950s | 2,313 | 837,471 | #1 |
| 1960s | 3,679 | 833,092 | #1 |
| 1970s | 5,075 | 707,327 | #1 |
| 1980s | 5,202 | 663,807 | #1 |
| 1990s | 1,934 | 462,466 | #1 |
| 2000s | 824 | 250,715 | #2 |
| 2010s | 331 | 145,220 | #9 |
| 2020–25 | 119 | 52,631 | #21 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
33.5% of babies named Michael from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Michael is most popular
The index compares Michael's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Michael.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 1.57× | 24,636 |
| District of Columbia | 1.45× | 29,680 |
| Connecticut | 1.41× | 67,829 |
| Delaware | 1.40× | 12,872 |
| Massachusetts | 1.36× | 143,378 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Michael and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Michael (this page) | 4,363,211 | 1969 |
| Micheal | 152,187 | 1957 |
| Michel | 10,128 | 1957 |
| Mychael | 1,348 | 1989 |
| Mikhael | 1,163 | 2020 |
| Michiel | 1,028 | 1968 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Michael's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Michael.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Michael (1969).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data