Michael
Meaning & Origin
Meaning: Who Is Like God?
Background: The name Michael comes from the Hebrew name Mikha'el (מִיכָאֵל), derived from the components 'mi' (מי), meaning 'who,' 'ka' (כָּ) meaning 'like,' and 'El' (אֵל), referring to God. The name Michael was adopted into Ancient Greek as Μιχαήλ (Mikhaēl), where it retains a similar meaning to its Hebrew form.
At a glance
Quick stats based on the history of this name.
Lifetime rank
#4
Total births
4,440,391
Most popular decade
1950s
(2,519,337 births)
10-year trend
↓ Falling (-11 ranks)
Years in Top 100
145
First recorded year
1880
Gender usage
99.5% male
0.5% female
Stats by gender
Male
- First year
- 1880
- First year births
- 354
- First year rank
- #46
- Peak year
- 1957
- Peak year births
- 92,786
- Peak rank
- #1
- Most recent year
- 2024
- Recent year births
- 8,189
- Recent rank
- #18
Female
- First year
- 1897
- First year births
- 7
- First year rank
- #1,263
- Peak year
- 1986
- Peak year births
- 590
- Peak rank
- #392
- Most recent year
- 2024
- Recent year births
- 15
- Recent rank
- #7,223
Births over time
Number of babies given this name each year.
Rank over time
Popularity rank by year (1 = most popular).