boy's name
Mike
MYKE (English)
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 216,953
Ireland
#778
2025 births
Mike is a boy's name, the short form of Michael, from a Hebrew question meaning who is like God. It is stable, and France now gives it a stronger position than the United States.
- Mike is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1960, when 12,069 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 20,340 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Mike Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 779 |
| 1890s | 828 |
| 1900s | 1,281 |
| 1910s | 7,957 |
| 1920s | 9,117 |
| 1930s | 8,062 |
| 1940s | 34,774 |
| 1950s | 48,475 |
| 1960s | 71,651 |
| 1970s | 10,391 |
| 1980s | 3,535 |
| 1990s | 3,292 |
| 2000s | 3,120 |
| 2010s | 2,130 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,131 |
What Mike Means
Mike means who is like God. The Hebrew is a rhetorical question whose implied answer is nobody, so it asserts God's incomparability rather than describing the bearer.
Where Mike Comes From
Mike is clipped from Michael, the Hebrew Mikha'el — mi, who, kha, like, el, God. The archangel asks the question as a war cry in Jewish tradition, and casts down the dragon in Revelation. Michael was among the most common male names in the English-speaking world through the twentieth century, which is why the short form became a registered name in its own right. It also became a common noun: a mike is a microphone, from the 1920s, and to mike is to record — an unrelated clipping that happens to land on the same syllable.
Mike in Use
Mike peaked in the United States in 1960, when 12,069 babies were registered, and it is stable rather than falling. It now ranks 778th in Ireland, 1,221st in France on 30 births, 1,233rd in the United States on 163 and 2,850th in England and Wales, across 216,953 lifetime births in five markets. France and the United States place it within twelve ranks of each other despite the difference in market size.
How Popular Is Mike?
In 2025, Mike was given to 163 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Mike 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.
Names That Peaked Alongside Mike
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Mike Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Mike over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Mike
- English MYKE /maɪk/
Mike 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.
Sibling Names for Mike
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Mike — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Mike
What does the name Mike mean?
Who is like God — a rhetorical question whose implied answer is nobody.
Is Mike a full name?
It is widely registered as one, though it began as a short form of Michael.
Is the word mike related?
No — a mike as a microphone is a separate 1920s clipping that lands on the same syllable.
How popular is Mike?
1,233rd in the United States and 1,221st in France, and it is stable.
Is Mike a girl's or a boy's name?
Mike is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Mike?
Mike has 1 syllable.
Is Mike a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Mike currently ranks #778 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.