NameRealm
Michael

Michael: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“who is like God?”
Origin
Hebrew
Say it
MY-kul · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

From Hebrew Mikha'el, a rhetorical question expressing humility before God. Michael is the name of the archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition.

English namesHebrew namesNames meaning faithClassic namesBiblical namesInternational names

How popular is Michael?

20242,465 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Michael in 20248,204

2024 rank#18 boys

Peak year1969

Total US babies since 18804,440,391

Michael is fading: recent use is about 60% of its level ten years before.

Names like Michael

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Miguelwho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Makaylamodern spelling of Michaela · American (modern coinage)
  • Michaelawho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Mikaylawho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Misaelwho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Mikewho is like God? · English
  • Mikaelawho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Micaelawho is like God? · Hebrew

Michael questions

What does the name Michael mean?

Michael means "who is like God?". It comes from Hebrew. From Hebrew Mikha'el, a rhetorical question expressing humility before God. Michael is the name of the archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition.

Is Michael a boy or girl name?

Michael is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Michael?

8,204 US babies were named Michael in 2024. Its peak year was 1969.

How do you pronounce Michael?

Michael is usually pronounced MY-kul.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.