Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1968

Michele

Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #4,837 Trend → Stable

A unisex given name A female given name from French [in turn from Hebrew], equivalent to English Michelle, anglicized form of French Michèle, a French spelling variant…

Rank 2025
#4,837
among girls · ↓658 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
28
named Michele · -20% vs 2024
How common
1 in 57,402
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1968
11,281 babies
All-time total
226,063
#181 all-time among girls
First recorded
1905
in Social Security records

Michele popularity over time

226,063 babies have been named Michele since 1905, 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – 5 5 1 – –
1910s 39 143 182 18 +3540% #2,963
1920s 122 175 297 30 +63% #1,999
1930s 317 69 386 39 +30% #934
1940s 11,606 128 11,734 1,173 +2940% #135
1950s 41,973 259 42,232 4,223 +260% #89
1960s 86,993 537 87,530 8,753 +107% #29
1970s 56,560 584 57,144 5,714 -35% #31
1980s 17,262 374 17,636 1,764 -69% #126
1990s 6,014 210 6,224 622 -65% #244
2000s 1,717 164 1,881 188 -70% #864
2010s 519 84 603 60 -68% #2,556
2020s (to 2025) 177 32 209 35 -42% #4,057

Where Michele 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 28 0.02 outside top 500
2027 28 0.02 outside top 500
2028 28 0.02 outside top 500
2029 28 0.02 outside top 500
2030 28 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Michele

Michele is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,837 in 2025 with 28 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1905, 226,063 American babies have been named Michele. Its peak came in 1968, when 11,281 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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

How old are people named Michele?

The median living Michele is about 58 years old; half are between 52 and 64. An estimated 203 thousand people named Michele are alive in the United States today.

median 58 020406080100

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

Michele 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 28 #4,837 – –
2024 35 #4,179 – –
2023 24 #5,339 9 #8,692
2022 33 #4,348 7 #10,499
2021 22 #5,690 8 #9,395
2020 35 #4,057 8 #9,267
2019 28 #4,862 10 #8,010
2018 31 #4,529 8 #9,368
2017 36 #4,125 9 #8,607
2016 60 #2,853 13 #6,593
2015 61 #2,877 – –
2014 48 #3,356 5 #13,386
2013 63 #2,756 9 #8,546
2012 62 #2,825 10 #7,942
2011 58 #2,980 10 #7,894
2010 72 #2,556 10 #7,953
2009 88 #2,237 10 #8,101
2008 98 #2,090 13 #6,648
2007 107 #1,934 15 #5,826
2006 149 #1,485 11 #7,263
2005 147 #1,449 11 #6,951
2004 196 #1,159 18 #4,719
2003 213 #1,058 18 #4,555
2002 207 #1,040 20 #4,142
2001 265 #864 26 #3,378
2000 247 #891 22 #3,718
1995 471 #516 17 #3,796
1990 1,164 #244 36 #2,066
1985 1,477 #182 33 #1,824
1980 2,486 #126 37 #1,610
1975 5,033 #56 64 #1,037
1970 10,090 #31 74 #930
1965 8,661 #48 41 #1,199
1960 5,609 #89 38 #1,287
1955 4,768 #93 23 #1,631
1950 2,500 #128 20 #1,688
1945 948 #206 13 #1,988
1940 102 #692 9 #2,614
1935 33 #1,255 – –
1930 6 #4,396 13 #2,258
1925 11 #3,068 21 #1,724
1920 7 #4,275 22 #1,676
1915 5 #4,753 13 #2,138
1910 – – – –
1905 – – 5 #1,362
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Michele

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

  1. 1 Michele Bachmann Michele Bachmann American politician (born 1956) Contemporary
  2. 2 Michele Ferrero Michele Ferrero Italian entrepreneur (1925–2015) Contemporary
  3. 3 Michele Placido Michele Placido Italian actor and film director b. 1946 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Michele Alboreto Michele Alboreto Italian racing driver (1956–2001) Contemporary
  5. 5 Michele Merkin Michele Merkin American model b. 1975 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Michele Bravi Michele Bravi Italian pop singer (born 1994) Contemporary
  7. 7 Michele Scarponi Michele Scarponi Italian road racing cyclist 1979–2017 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Michele Andreolo Michele Andreolo Italian footballer (1912-1981) Contemporary
  9. 9 Michele Bartoli Michele Bartoli Italian cyclist b. 1970 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Michele Ruggieri Italian Jesuit priest and sinologist (1543–1607) 16th century
  11. 11 Michele Perniola Michele Perniola Italian singer (born 1998) Contemporary
  12. 12 Michele Pazienza Michele Pazienza Italian footballer (born 1982) Contemporary
  13. 13 Michele Sanmicheli Michele Sanmicheli Venetian architect and urban planner (1484–1559) Medieval
  14. 14 Michele Steno Michele Steno Doge of Venice from 1400 to 1413 1331–1413 · Medieval
  15. 15 Michele Polverino Michele Polverino Swiss footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  16. 16 Michele Morosini Michele Morosini Doge of Venice in 1382 1308–1382 · Medieval
  17. 17 Michele Canini Michele Canini Italian footballer b. 1985 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Michele Frangilli Michele Frangilli Italian archer (born 1976) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Michele?

The median living Michele is about 58 years old. Half of all living Micheles are between 52 and 64 years old.

How many people named Michele are alive today?

An estimated 203 thousand people named Michele are alive in the United States, based on 226,063 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Michele mean?

A unisex given name A female given name from French [in turn from Hebrew], equivalent to English Michelle, anglicized form of French Michèle, a French spelling variant of Michelle.

How popular is the name Michele in 2025?

Michele ranked #4,837 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 28 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Michele?

226,063 babies have been named Michele in the United States since 1905, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Michele most popular?

Michele peaked in 1968, when 11,281 newborns received the name.

Is Michele a boy or girl name?

Michele is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Michele rising or falling?

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

Will Michele become more popular?

Michele looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 28 girls named Michele in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Michele?

Well-known people named Michele include Michele Bachmann (politician), Michele Ferrero (businessperson), Michele Placido (actor).

Names like Michele

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

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