# Michael (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/michael/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “who is like god?” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmaɪkəl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Mikey, Mike, Mick, Mickey, Micky, Miki, Mookie |
| Variant spellings | Michaell, Mykal, Mish |
| US babies named this | 4,448,633 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 4,426,753 / 21,880 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 47,690, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English Michael, from Old French Michel, Old English Michahel, from their source Latin Michaēl, Michāhēl, from Ancient Greek Μῐχᾱήλ (Mĭkhāḗl), from Biblical Hebrew מִיכָאֵל (mîḵāʾēl, literally “who is like God?”). Doublet of Miguel and Mikhail.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 36 | 4,129 |
| 2012 | 27 | 5,203 |
| 2013 | 39 | 3,893 |
| 2014 | 35 | 4,235 |
| 2015 | 36 | 4,120 |
| 2016 | 34 | 4,323 |
| 2017 | 34 | 4,284 |
| 2018 | 20 | 6,170 |
| 2019 | 33 | 4,315 |
| 2020 | 24 | 5,272 |
| 2021 | 27 | 4,920 |
| 2022 | 19 | 6,389 |
| 2023 | 20 | 6,099 |
| 2024 | 16 | 7,149 |
| 2025 | 13 | 8,188 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 16,823 | 6 |
| 2012 | 16,211 | 7 |
| 2013 | 15,544 | 7 |
| 2014 | 15,505 | 7 |
| 2015 | 14,504 | 9 |
| 2016 | 14,145 | 8 |
| 2017 | 12,726 | 12 |
| 2018 | 11,756 | 14 |
| 2019 | 10,619 | 14 |
| 2020 | 9,833 | 12 |
| 2021 | 9,150 | 17 |
| 2022 | 8,895 | 16 |
| 2023 | 8,430 | 16 |
| 2024 | 8,229 | 18 |
| 2025 | 8,094 | 21 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,364 | 53 |
| 2012 | 1,302 | 53 |
| 2013 | 1,200 | 53 |
| 2014 | 1,139 | 52 |
| 2015 | 1,165 | 54 |
| 2016 | 1,056 | 59 |
| 2017 | 934 | 68 |
| 2018 | 869 | 74 |
| 2019 | 835 | 70 |
| 2020 | 751 | 74 |
| 2021 | 749 | 77 |
| 2022 | 642 | 88 |
| 2023 | 593 | 88 |
| 2024 | 626 | 85 |
| 2025 | 615 | 85 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: مِيكَائِيل, مِيخَائِيل, مِيكَال, مَايْكِل
- Armenian: Միքայել
- Bulgarian: Михаил, Ма́йкъл
- Catalan: Miquel
- Chinese: 邁克爾 /迈克尔, 麥可 /麦可
- Czech: Michal
- Danish: Michael, Mikael, Mikkel
- Dutch: Michiel, Michaël, Michel, Maikel
- Esperanto: Mikelo, Miĥaelo, Mikaelo
- Estonian: Miikael, Mihkel
- Finnish: Mikko
- French: Michel, Michaël
- Georgian: მიხეილი
- German: Michael
- Greek: Μιχαήλ, Μιχάλης
- Hebrew: מיכאל
- Hindi: माइकल
- Hungarian: Mihály
- Icelandic: Michael, Mikael, Mikjáll
- Irish: Micheál

## People named Michael

- Michael Jackson, American singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer (1958–2009)
- Michael Faraday, British scientist (1791–1867)
- Michael Jordan, American basketball player and businessman (born 1963)
- Michael Caine, English actor (born 1933)
- Michael Phelps, American swimmer (born 1985)
- Michael Douglas, American actor, producer and activist (born 1944)
- Michael Clarke Duncan, American actor (1957–2012)
- Michael Collins, American astronaut (1930–2021)
- Michael Bloomberg, American businessman and politician; 108th Mayor of New York City
- Michael Crichton, American author, screenwriter, film director (1942–2008)
- Michael Ballack, German association football player (born 1976)
- Michael Keaton, American actor (born 1951)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.