| John | Michael | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is gracious | Who is like God? |
| Origin | Hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | JON | MY-kul |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1947 (88,324) | 1957 (92,781) |
| In 2025 | 8,027 | 8,094 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | John | Michael |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 48,370 | 52,631 |
| 2010s | 102,800 | 145,220 |
| 2000s | 161,104 | 250,715 |
| 1990s | 240,151 | 462,466 |
| 1980s | 321,150 | 663,807 |
| 1970s | 402,612 | 707,327 |
| 1960s | 713,394 | 833,092 |
| 1950s | 797,922 | 837,471 |
| 1940s | 711,614 | 336,568 |
| 1930s | 487,950 | 56,001 |
| 1920s | 564,052 | 37,893 |
| 1910s | 376,311 | 30,858 |
| 1900s | 84,590 | 5,220 |
| 1890s | 80,664 | 3,926 |
| 1880s | 89,949 | 3,558 |
John comes from the Hebrew Yochanan, “Yahweh is gracious.” The most widespread of all Christian names, it was carried by John the Baptist and the apostle John, and appears in nearly every European language.
Michael comes from the Hebrew rhetorical question mi-ka-el, “Who is like God?” Michael is named in scripture as an archangel, and the name has been a perennial favourite for boys across the Christian world.
Michael is more popular than John today: about 8,094 US babies were given the name Michael in 2025, compared with 8,027 named John.
John means God is gracious (Hebrew origin), while Michael means Who is like God? (Hebrew origin).
In US records, John first appears in 1880 and Michael in 1880, so John has the longer recorded history.