girls' name ★ peaked 1997

Michaela

Meaning Micaela Gender Girl Rank 2025 #843 Trend ↓ Falling 21%

From Michael +‎ -a. Latinate feminine form of Michael, first appearing as an anglicisation of the Portuguese ("Micaela") and Spanish ("Micaela").

Rank 2025
#843
among girls · ↓101 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
323
named Michaela · -15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,976
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1997
3,405 babies
All-time total
53,702
#560 all-time among girls
First recorded
1921
in Social Security records

Michaela popularity over time

53,702 babies have been named Michaela since 1921, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s 17 – 17 2 – #4,146
1930s 58 – 58 6 +241% #1,852
1940s 273 – 273 27 +371% #1,457
1950s 640 – 640 64 +134% #1,094
1960s 931 6 937 94 +46% #895
1970s 1,455 – 1,455 146 +55% #734
1980s 4,614 12 4,626 463 +218% #269
1990s 23,173 45 23,218 2,322 +402% #100
2000s 13,086 6 13,092 1,309 -44% #154
2010s 6,737 – 6,737 674 -49% #391
2020s (to 2025) 2,649 – 2,649 442 -34% #578

Where Michaela is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 307 0.19 outside top 500
2027 295 0.18 outside top 500
2028 284 0.18 outside top 500
2029 276 0.17 outside top 500
2030 269 0.17 outside top 500

Where Michaela is most popular

Girls named Michaela per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.271 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Michaela born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 124 0.687 +153%
Connecticut 38 0.653 +141%
New York 245 0.619 +128%
Maryland 57 0.538 +98%
Massachusetts 65 0.538 +98%
Pennsylvania 112 0.474 +75%
Virginia 72 0.422 +56%
District of Columbia 5 0.422 +56%
Florida 173 0.404 +49%
Georgia 86 0.379 +40%
Illinois 79 0.345 +27%
South Carolina 29 0.323 +19%
Ohio 75 0.316 +17%
Kentucky 26 0.304 +12%
Michigan 55 0.302 +11%
North Carolina 66 0.290 +7%
Tennessee 41 0.259 -5%
Texas 202 0.251 -7%
Nevada 11 0.237 -13%
Washington 34 0.235 -13%
Mississippi 11 0.235 -13%
Oklahoma 17 0.231 -15%
California 194 0.231 -15%
Indiana 32 0.228 -16%
Arizona 30 0.214 -21%
Wisconsin 18 0.175 -36%
Louisiana 15 0.171 -37%
Alabama 16 0.170 -37%
Missouri 18 0.149 -45%
Colorado 14 0.125 -54%
Kansas 6 0.104 -62%
Arkansas 5 0.095 -65%
Iowa 5 0.086 -68%
Minnesota 8 0.074 -73%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Michaela

Michaela is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #843 in 2025 with 323 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1921, 53,702 American babies have been named Michaela. Its peak came in 1997, when 3,405 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Michaela stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Michaela?

The median living Michaela is about 27 years old; half are between 20 and 31. An estimated 53 thousand people named Michaela are alive in the United States today.

median 27 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Michaela year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 323 #843 – –
2024 379 #742 – –
2023 459 #638 – –
2022 516 #578 – –
2021 523 #579 – –
2020 449 #646 – –
2019 492 #614 – –
2018 591 #532 – –
2017 608 #517 – –
2016 674 #472 – –
2015 647 #496 – –
2014 663 #478 – –
2013 744 #409 – –
2012 726 #430 – –
2011 778 #406 – –
2010 814 #391 – –
2009 876 #368 – –
2008 922 #358 – –
2007 971 #340 – –
2006 1,003 #331 – –
2005 1,153 #287 – –
2004 1,167 #283 6 #10,881
2003 1,380 #237 – –
2002 1,615 #201 – –
2001 1,827 #178 – –
2000 2,172 #154 – –
1995 3,083 #107 7 #7,529
1990 878 #311 – –
1985 508 #434 – –
1980 267 #665 – –
1975 120 #1,010 – –
1970 128 #984 – –
1965 106 #1,018 – –
1960 53 #1,535 – –
1955 74 #1,162 – –
1950 37 #1,544 – –
1945 27 #1,610 – –
1940 13 #2,382 – –
1935 6 #4,078 – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Michaela

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Michaela Conlin Michaela Conlin American actress (born 1978) Contemporary
  2. 2 Michaela McManus Michaela McManus American actress (born 1983) Contemporary
  3. 3 Michaela Schaffrath Michaela Schaffrath German television actress and former pornographic actress b. 1970 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Michaela Dorfmeister Michaela Dorfmeister Austrian alpine skier b. 1973 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Michaela Kirchgasser Michaela Kirchgasser Austrian alpine skier b. 1985 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Michaela, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Michaela?

The median living Michaela is about 27 years old. Half of all living Michaelas are between 20 and 31 years old.

How many people named Michaela are alive today?

An estimated 53 thousand people named Michaela are alive in the United States, based on 53,702 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Michaela mean?

From Michael +‎ -a. Latinate feminine form of Michael, first appearing as an anglicisation of the Portuguese ("Micaela") and Spanish ("Micaela").

How popular is the name Michaela in 2025?

Michaela ranked #843 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 323 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Michaela?

53,702 babies have been named Michaela in the United States since 1921, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Michaela most popular?

Michaela peaked in 1997, when 3,405 newborns received the name.

Is Michaela a boy or girl name?

Michaela is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Michaela rising or falling?

Michaela is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Michaela become more popular?

Michaela is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 269 girls named Michaela in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Michaela?

Well-known people named Michaela include Michaela Conlin (actor), Michaela McManus (actor), Michaela Schaffrath (actor).

Names like Michaela

Names that sound and feel close to Michaela: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Michaela with similar names → More names starting with M →