NamesBoyM › Michael
Boy name · Hebrew origin

Michael

/ˈmaɪkəl/ · Hebrew origin · 100% boys · #21 in the US for boys, 2025

Hebrew Mikha'el, a rhetorical question — who is like god?. The archangel who leads the heavenly armies; America's top boy's name for 44 years.

MeaningWho is like God?
OriginHebrew
Syllables2
Pronunciation/ˈmaɪkəl/
NicknamesMike, Mikey, Mick
Living in the US≈ 3,721,324
Median age today53 years
Themes: faith protection

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Michael per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandIrelandFranceNorwayeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1957 · 93,036
  • Born in 20258,107
  • All time4,448,633
  • England & Wales, 2025#85 · 615

How popular is Michael?

Michael ranks 21st among American boys in 2025, with 8,107 born that year. Its best year was 1957, when 93,036 babies were given the name, ranking 1st. The typical living American called Michael is about 53 years old today. It is relatively most common in Wyoming, where it accounts for 0.74% of births.

Names that sound like Michael

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Michel0.84
  2. Misael0.79
  3. Mikael0.79
  4. Michal0.78
  5. Mitchel0.74
  6. Israel0.68
  7. Ismael0.68
  8. Mitchell0.66

Middle names for Michael

Ranked by flow score
  1. Michael Paul0.77
  2. Michael John0.77
  3. Michael Blake0.76
  4. Michael Wade0.76
  5. Michael Ross0.76
  6. Michael Quinn0.76

Sibling names for Michael

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Davidbrother · 0.97
  2. Stevenbrother · 0.92
  3. Timothybrother · 0.91
  4. Rebeccasister · 0.88
  5. Laurasister · 0.88
  6. Elizabethsister · 0.86

Where Michael is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. Wyoming0.74%
  2. Alaska0.61%
  3. Rhode Island0.56%
  4. Delaware0.50%
  5. New Jersey0.46%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Michael Anderson0.77
  2. Michael White0.72
  3. Michael Nguyen0.72
  4. Michael Hill0.72
  5. Michael Hall0.72
  6. Michael Brown0.72

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Michael

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. Ireland1998–2019
  5. France1900–2025
  6. Norway1945–2025
  7. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Michael across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.