boy's name
Michael
MY-kul
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 4,726,640
the United States
#21
2025 births
Michael is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?" — a rhetorical question expecting the answer that no one is. It belongs to the archangel Michael, who appears in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition as the leader of the heavenly armies.
- Michael is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1957, when 93,036 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 409 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Michael over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,558 |
| 1890s | 3,933 |
| 1900s | 5,232 |
| 1910s | 31,008 |
| 1920s | 38,196 |
| 1930s | 56,385 |
| 1940s | 338,115 |
| 1950s | 839,784 |
| 1960s | 836,771 |
| 1970s | 712,402 |
| 1980s | 669,009 |
| 1990s | 464,400 |
| 2000s | 251,539 |
| 2010s | 145,551 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 52,750 |
What Michael means
Michael is a question rather than a statement: mi kha El, "who is like God?" The expected answer is nobody, making the name an assertion of God's uniqueness. Few names in common use are grammatically interrogative in this way.
Where Michael comes from
Michael comes from the Hebrew Mikha'el, formed from mi, who, kha, like, and El, God. The construction is a rhetorical question, and the implied answer is that none is like God. Michael appears in the Book of Daniel as a protecting prince, and in the Book of Revelation as the leader of the angels who fight the dragon, which made him a major figure in Christian devotion and a common dedication for churches — including Mont-Saint-Michel and St Michael's Mount. The name spread through every Christian language, producing Michel, Miguel, Michele, Mikhail, and Mihai, and has been among the most-used male names in the English-speaking world for centuries.
Michael in use
Michael is one of the few widely used names that is grammatically a question.
How popular is Michael?
In 2025, Michael was given to 8,107 babies in the United States, ranking #21 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Michael is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Michael is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Michaël | Michaël is Michael written with a diaeresis, used in France, where it ranks #1,110. | 9,370 |
| Michäel | Michäel is a rare spelling of Michael, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
Names that peaked alongside Michael
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Michael also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Michael over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
8 nicknames for Michael
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Michael in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Aragonese
- Miguel
- Basque
- Mikel
- Belarusian
- Mikhail
- Bulgarian
- Mikhail
- Catalan
- Miquel
- Czech
- Michal
- Danish
- Mikkel
- Finnish
- Mikko
- French
- Michel
- Galician
- Miguel
- Georgian
- Mikael
- German
- Mickie
- Hebrew
- Michal
- Norwegian
- Mikkel
- Portuguese
- Miguel
- Romanian
- Mihai
- Russian
- Mikhail
- Slovene
- Mihael
- Spanish
- Miguel
- Turkish
- Mikail
- Ukrainian
- Mykhailo
Sibling names for Michael
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Michael — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Michael
What does the name Michael mean?
Michael means "who is like God?", a rhetorical question whose expected answer is no one.
Who is the archangel Michael?
Michael appears in Daniel and Revelation as a protecting prince and leader of the heavenly armies.
What are nicknames for Michael?
Mike, Mick, and Micky are the most common short forms.
How popular is the name Michael?
In 2025, Michael was given to 8,107 babies in the United States, ranking #21 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Michael a girl's or a boy's name?
Michael is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Michael?
Michael has 2 syllables.
When was Michael most popular?
Michael peaked in 1957, when 93,036 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Michael a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Michael currently ranks #21 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.