Thirty years of Michael
Michael in numbers
Michael peaked in 1996 with 4,187 boys and has fallen since, to 615 in 2025. Its biggest three-year fall came between 1996 and 1999, from 4,187 to 2,869. It ranked 22nd in 1996 and ranks 85th now. On average it was given to 3,569 boys a year in the late 1990s, 1,822 in the 2000s, 1,122 in the 2010s and 663 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Similar spellings in the 2025 list†: Michal (13), Micheal (11), Michail (3). Matched by their letters, not by meaning or origin. ONS counts each spelling separately, so these are not added to Michael.
What the official statisticians said
“Michael (as in Michael Vaughan) slipped four places to 39.”
General Register Office, on 2005 births in England and Wales. Read the source
Quoted word for word from the official releases, including their own “may” and “could”. Baby Data has not added reasons of its own. Releases for Scotland and Northern Ireland are about babies there, not in England and Wales.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-2%626 to 615
- 5 years-18%751 to 615
- 10 years-47%1,165 to 615
- 20 years-62%1,627 to 615
- Since 1996-85%4,187 to 615
- Total, 1996 to 202547,690boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 85 · ONS · 626 in 2024
Rank 65 · NRS · 77 in 2024
Rank 38 · NISRA · 39 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 85 | 615 | -2% | 1 in 489 |
| 2024 | 85 | 626 | +6% | 1 in 487 |
| 2023 | 88 | 593 | -8% | 1 in 511 |
| 2022 | 88 | 642 | -14% | 1 in 484 |
| 2021 | =77 | 749 | -0% | 1 in 427 |
| 2020 | =74 | 751 | -10% | 1 in 419 |
| 2019 | 70 | 835 | -4% | 1 in 394 |
| 2018 | 74 | 869 | -7% | 1 in 388 |
| 2017 | 68 | 934 | -12% | 1 in 373 |
| 2016 * | =59 | 1,056 | -9% | 1 in 337 |
| 2015 | 54 | 1,165 | +2% | 1 in 307 |
| 2014 | 52 | 1,139 | -5% | 1 in 313 |
| 2013 | 53 | 1,200 | -8% | 1 in 299 |
| 2012 | 53 | 1,302 | -5% | 1 in 288 |
| 2011 | 53 | 1,364 | +1% | 1 in 272 |
| 2010 | 53 | 1,353 | -2% | 1 in 274 |
| 2009 | 51 | 1,385 | -9% | 1 in 261 |
| 2008 | 52 | 1,517 | -5% | 1 in 239 |
| 2007 | 47 | 1,600 | -4% | 1 in 222 |
| 2006 | 41 | 1,666 | +2% | 1 in 206 |
| 2005 | 42 | 1,627 | -11% | 1 in 203 |
| 2004 | 39 | 1,836 | -8% | 1 in 179 |
| 2003 | 38 | 1,987 | +2% | 1 in 160 |
| 2002 | 35 | 1,955 | -13% | 1 in 157 |
| 2001 | 33 | 2,237 | -7% | 1 in 136 |
| 2000 | 30 | 2,413 | -16% | 1 in 128 |
| 1999 | 26 | 2,869 | -18% | 1 in 111 |
| 1998 | 23 | 3,514 | -5% | 1 in 93 |
| 1997 | 23 | 3,704 | -12% | 1 in 89 |
| 1996 | 22 | 4,187 | 1 in 80 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Michael
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Michael is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate