| Michael | John | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Who is like God? | God is gracious |
| Origin | Hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MY-kul | JON |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1957 (92,781) | 1947 (88,324) |
| In 2025 | 8,094 | 8,027 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Michael | John |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 52,631 | 48,370 |
| 2010s | 145,220 | 102,800 |
| 2000s | 250,715 | 161,104 |
| 1990s | 462,466 | 240,151 |
| 1980s | 663,807 | 321,150 |
| 1970s | 707,327 | 402,612 |
| 1960s | 833,092 | 713,394 |
| 1950s | 837,471 | 797,922 |
| 1940s | 336,568 | 711,614 |
| 1930s | 56,001 | 487,950 |
| 1920s | 37,893 | 564,052 |
| 1910s | 30,858 | 376,311 |
| 1900s | 5,220 | 84,590 |
| 1890s | 3,926 | 80,664 |
| 1880s | 3,558 | 89,949 |
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.
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 is more popular than John today: about 8,094 US babies were given the name Michael in 2025, compared with 8,027 named John.
Michael means Who is like God? (Hebrew origin), while John means God is gracious (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Michael first appears in 1880 and John in 1880, so Michael has the longer recorded history.