Michael
Michael is a common masculine given name usually thought to be from the Hebrew rhetorical question מי כאל, "Who [is] like [the Hebrew god] El?", thus being a theophoric name whose answer is "there is none like El", or "there is none as famous and powerful as God." This question is known in Latin as Quis ut Deus? Paradoxically, the name is also sometimes interpreted as "One who is like God."
Meaning & Origin of Michael
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Michael is a common masculine given name usually thought to be from the Hebrew rhetorical question מי כאל, "Who [is] like [the Hebrew god] El?", thus being a theophoric name whose answer is "there is none like El", or "there is none as famous and powerful as God." This question is known in Latin as Quis ut Deus? Paradoxically, the name is also sometimes interpreted as "One who is like God."
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Michael
Michael first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 354 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1957, when 92,786 Michaels were born — ranking #1 that year. As of 2026, Michael ranks #25 for baby boys with 7,804 births, falling sharply (-24%). In total, more than 4.4M Michaels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Michael
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- List of people with given name Michael
- List of people with given name Mikhail
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Where is Michael most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- Nigeria28%
- CY26%
- GH19%
- China14%
- United States13%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Michael
Phonetically similar names — useful when Michael is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Michael
What does the name Michael mean?
How popular is Michael in 2026?
When was Michael most popular?
In which U.S. states is Michael most popular?
Is Michael a unisex name?
What names go well with Michael?
About the name Michael
Michael is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 4.4M births in the dataset. Michael's peak popularity came in 1957 when it ranked #1. Use the chart and map above to compare Michael's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1957 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.