Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1985

Michal

Meaning Michal Gender Unisex · 52% girls Rank 2025 #4,320 Trend ↑ Rising 19%

From Hebrew מִיכַל (mikhál, “Michal”).

Rank 2025
#4,320
among girls · ↓762 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
48
named Michal · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 48,705
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1985
158 babies
All-time total
7,813
#2,971 all-time among girls
First recorded
1911
in Social Security records

Michal popularity over time

7,813 babies have been named Michal since 1911, 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
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – 69 69 7 – –
1920s – 44 44 4 -36% –
1930s 10 – 10 1 -77% #4,726
1940s 379 230 609 61 +5990% #856
1950s 325 574 899 90 +48% #1,444
1960s 281 467 748 75 -17% #1,998
1970s 517 410 927 93 +24% #1,292
1980s 685 501 1,186 119 +28% #1,422
1990s 653 595 1,248 125 +5% #1,924
2000s 519 569 1,088 109 -13% #2,449
2010s 434 240 674 67 -38% #2,889
2020s (to 2025) 228 83 311 52 -23% #3,558

Where Michal 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 34 0.02 outside top 500
2027 35 0.02 outside top 500
2028 35 0.02 outside top 500
2029 36 0.02 outside top 500
2030 36 0.02 outside top 500

Where Michal is most popular

Girls named Michal per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.024 per 1,000.

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 Michal 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 55 0.305 +1194%
New York 63 0.159 +576%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
California – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Michal

Michal is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,320 in 2025 with 33 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1911, 7,813 American babies have been named Michal, about 52% girls and 48% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1985, when 158 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Michal stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Michal?

The median living Michal is about 37 years old; half are between 23 and 55. An estimated 7,000 people named Michal are alive in the United States today.

median 37 020406080100

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

Michal 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 33 #4,320 15 #6,049
2024 44 #3,558 9 #8,754
2023 42 #3,691 5 #13,501
2022 41 #3,750 19 #5,156
2021 31 #4,474 18 #5,271
2020 37 #3,888 17 #5,394
2019 31 #4,509 12 #7,039
2018 36 #4,052 16 #5,701
2017 49 #3,285 12 #6,972
2016 54 #3,088 22 #4,576
2015 38 #3,959 19 #5,001
2014 43 #3,637 22 #4,486
2013 35 #4,219 32 #3,382
2012 37 #4,091 26 #3,970
2011 60 #2,889 38 #3,029
2010 51 #3,238 41 #2,905
2009 48 #3,444 48 #2,613
2008 50 #3,361 57 #2,315
2007 44 #3,703 57 #2,294
2006 40 #3,835 63 #2,092
2005 48 #3,246 60 #2,072
2004 65 #2,578 62 #1,969
2003 46 #3,216 59 #1,977
2002 57 #2,695 47 #2,240
2001 58 #2,621 47 #2,210
2000 63 #2,449 69 #1,677
1995 60 #2,231 43 #1,977
1990 69 #1,983 69 #1,345
1985 90 #1,422 68 #1,130
1980 59 #1,859 34 #1,715
1975 53 #1,767 46 #1,272
1970 29 #2,558 44 #1,258
1965 28 #2,278 45 #1,121
1960 26 #2,352 52 #1,079
1955 35 #1,790 59 #982
1950 41 #1,444 37 #1,198
1945 30 #1,505 17 #1,676
1940 8 #3,420 9 #2,613
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – 7 #3,628
1920 – – 9 #3,128
1915 – – 6 #3,698
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Michal

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

  1. 1 Michal Michal Hebrew Bible character b. -1000 · Antiquity
  2. 2 Michaël Cuisance Michaël Cuisance French footballer (born 1999) Contemporary
  3. 3 Michaël Dudok de Wit Michaël Dudok de Wit Dutch animator, director and illustrator b. 1953 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Michaël Llodra Michaël Llodra French tennis player b. 1980 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Michal Březina Michal Březina Czech figure skater b. 1990 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Michal Kováč Michal Kováč First president of Slovakia from 1993 to 1998 1930–2016 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Michal Handzuš Michal Handzuš Slovak ice hockey player (born 1977) Contemporary
  8. 8 Michal Bílek Michal Bílek Czech footballer and manager b. 1965 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Michal Kadlec Michal Kadlec Czech footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  10. 10 Michaël Ciani Michaël Ciani French footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  11. 11 Michal Rozsíval Michal Rozsíval Czech ice hockey player (born 1978) Contemporary
  12. 12 Michal Viewegh Michal Viewegh Czech author (born 1962) Contemporary
  13. 13 Michal Krčmář Michal Krčmář Czech biathlete (born 1991) Contemporary
  14. 14 Michal Martikán Michal Martikán Slovak slalom canoeist (born 1979) Contemporary
  15. 15 Michaël Chrétien Basser Michaël Chrétien Basser Footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  16. 16 Michal Mertiňák Michal Mertiňák Slovak tennis player (born 1979) Contemporary
  17. 17 Michal Šlesingr Michal Šlesingr Czech biathlete (born 1983) Contemporary
  18. 18 Michaël D'Almeida Michaël D'Almeida French cyclist (born 1987) Contemporary
  19. 19 Michal Šanda Michal Šanda Czech writer and poet (born 1965) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Michal?

The median living Michal is about 37 years old. Half of all living Michals are between 23 and 55 years old.

How many people named Michal are alive today?

An estimated 7,000 people named Michal are alive in the United States, based on 7,813 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Michal mean?

From Hebrew מִיכַל (mikhál, “Michal”).

How popular is the name Michal in 2025?

Michal ranked #4,320 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 33 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Michal?

7,813 babies have been named Michal in the United States since 1911, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Michal most popular?

Michal peaked in 1985, when 158 newborns received the name.

Is Michal a boy or girl name?

Michal is used for both: about 52% of babies named Michal have been girls and 48% boys.

Is the name Michal rising or falling?

Michal has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Michal become more popular?

Michal is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 36 girls named Michal 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 Michal?

Well-known people named Michal include Michal (politician), Michaël Cuisance (soccer player), Michaël Dudok de Wit (film director).

Names like Michal

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

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