Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Michael

Say it MY-kul 2 syllables

Hebrew · “who is like God?”

Common across the UK, three Canadian provinces, Israel, and 7 more places. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 11 more places.

1 in 126 boys born in Ireland in 2025. Number 22 there.

Michael in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 14, rare in 14.
Michael in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales85 (down)20256151 in 442742020
Scotland652025711 in 277652020
Northern Ireland38 (down)2025501 in 166372020
Ireland22 (down)20251881 in 126172020
North America
Ontario (province)50 (down)2024206about 1 in 291342019
Quebec (province)100 (down)202572about 1 in 403892020
British Columbia (province)53 (up)202350about 1 in 260602018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)62 (down)2025128612020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025732020
Queensland (state)99 (down)202561682020
South Australia (state)50 (up)202532812020
New Zealand68 (up)202555792020
Western Europe
France764 (down)2025801 in 3,7847202020
Netherlands420 (down)202546about 1 in 1,4463302020
Central Europe
Austria61 (down)20251301 in 293362020
Switzerland153 (up)2025491 in 7351752020
Berlin (city)115 (down)202330about 1 in 5171132018
Munich (city)91 (down)202513about 1 in 336612020
Cologne (city)141 (down)20239about 1 in 709682018
Bonn (city)Rare: below the complete list2025712020
Leipzig (city)389 (down)20251about 1 in 2,8761282020
Rostock (city)172 (up)20251about 1 in 1,0472122020
Nordic countries
Norway192 (down)2025231 in 1,0121342020
Sweden343 (up)202521about 1 in 2,0543762020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)426 (up)202571 in 2,9585092020
Italy101 (down)20242601 in 728752019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland202 (down)2025381 in 3,3262002020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as מיכאל)17 (up)2024912about 1 in 93242019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

A question sits at the heart of Michael: the Hebrew mîḵāʾēl means 'who is like God?'. It is the name of the archangel, and it reached English through Greek, Latin and Old French. Miguel and Mikhail are its doubles.

2 more paragraphs

It has two syllables, MY-kul, and a warm, familiar sound. Mike, Mikey and Mick are the everyday short forms, and the name has relatives all over Europe: Michel, Michele, Mikael and Michal among them.

Michael ranks well in Ireland and Israel and holds a place in Northern Ireland, Ontario and Austria. In Canadian records its peak came in the 1970s. It is now falling in more places than it is rising, and it reads as a familiar name of the parents' generation.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
MY-kul · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“who is like God?”
Origin
Hebrew
Spellings counted
Counted together with Michael here: Michaël.
Related names
Miguel, Mikhail, Mick, Miles, Michele, Michel, Michal, Mikael, Mikkel, Mihael, Miquel, Mykhailo, Mika, Mickey, Micky, Mike, Mikey, Mitchell, Michaell, Michail, Michaił, Mikis, Michalis, Michalakis, Missas
Where Michael comes from (Wiktionary)

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.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Michael. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Michael over time

Rising in 5 of the 25 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 9. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 1976.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Michael in England and Wales: #22 in 1996, and #85 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #22, 4,187 boys1997: #23, 3,704 boys1998: #23, 3,514 boys1999: #26, 2,869 boys2000: #30, 2,413 boys2001: #33, 2,237 boys2002: #35, 1,955 boys2003: #38, 1,987 boys2004: #39, 1,836 boys2005: #42, 1,627 boys2006: #41, 1,666 boys2007: #47, 1,600 boys2008: #52, 1,517 boys2009: #51, 1,385 boys2010: #53, 1,353 boys2011: #53, 1,364 boys2012: #53, 1,302 boys2013: #53, 1,200 boys2014: #52, 1,139 boys2015: #54, 1,165 boys2016: #59, 1,056 boys2017: #68, 934 boys2018: #74, 869 boys2019: #70, 835 boys2020: #74, 751 boys2021: #77, 749 boys2022: #88, 642 boys2023: #88, 593 boys2024: #85, 626 boys2025: #85, 615 boyspeak #22, 1996#85in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996224,187
1997233,704
1998233,514
1999262,869
2000302,413
2001332,237
2002351,955
2003381,987
2004391,836
2005421,627
2006411,666
2007471,600
2008521,517
2009511,385
2010531,353
2011531,364
2012531,302
2013531,200
2014521,139
2015541,165
2016591,056
201768934
201874869
201970835
202074751
202177749
202288642
202388593
202485626
202585615

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Michael in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1974. Peak: 1976, about 4,868 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 397.7 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 469.3 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 756.5 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 1,325.5 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 2,051.2 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 2,993.9 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 3,565.4 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 3,977.2 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 4,404.5 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 4,286.1 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 4,773 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 4,540.3 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 3,889.6 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 3,097.8 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 2,068.7 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 1,482 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 938.8 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 733.9 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 554.6 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 409.2 per 100,000 boys20201975-1979: about 1 in 21 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–1929397.7
1930–1934469.3
1935–1939756.5
1940–19441,325.5
1945–19492,051.2
1950–19542,993.9
1955–19593,565.4
1960–19643,977.2
1965–19694,404.5
1970–19744,286.1
1975–19794,773
1980–19844,540.3
1985–19893,889.6
1990–19943,097.8
1995–19992,068.7
2000–20041,482
2005–2009938.8
2010–2014733.9
2015–2019554.6
2020–2024409.2

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Michael

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Michael, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 208, Ireland

  2. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 145, Ireland

  5. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  6. 1 in 178, Austria

  7. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 264, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 486, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 207, Northern Ireland

All 40 brother names for Michael

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Michael's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 137, Scotland

Full-name check

Michael Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials M.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Michael

Sisters for Michael: Maria, Miriam, Elizabeth, and 5 more
  1. MariaRose and fell with Michael · Same generation as Michael · Same initial as Michael
  2. MiriamRose and fell with Michael · Same generation as Michael · Same initial as Michael
  3. ElizabethRose and fell with Michael · Hebrew, like Michael
  4. JessicaRose and fell with Michael · Hebrew, like Michael
  5. SarahRose and fell with Michael · As common as Michael
  6. EvelynRose and fell with Michael · Same generation as Michael
  7. LeahRose and fell with Michael · As common as Michael
  8. RebeccaRose and fell with Michael · Hebrew, like Michael

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Michael

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Michael's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

  2. Common across the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, and 9 more places.

  3. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  4. Rare in Italy, Poland, Israel, and 15 more places.

  5. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  6. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 16 more places.

  7. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 25 more places.

  8. Common in England and Wales, Italy, Poland, and 22 more places.

Famous people named Michael

Michael Jackson, Michael Faraday, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Michael

How popular is Michael in Ireland?

Michael ranked #22 in Ireland in 2025, given to 188 boys, about 1 in 126.

Is Michael rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 5 of the 25 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 9. Rising in: South Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Catalonia, and Rostock.

What does Michael mean?

Michael means “who is like God?”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Michael have?

Michael has 2 syllables: MY-kul.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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