| Michael | Matthew | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Who is like God? | gift of Yahweh |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MY-kul | MATH-yoo |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1957 (92,781) | 1983 (50,209) |
| In 2025 | 8,094 | 7,003 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Michael | Matthew |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 52,631 | 44,052 |
| 2010s | 145,220 | 125,101 |
| 2000s | 250,715 | 221,631 |
| 1990s | 462,466 | 351,682 |
| 1980s | 663,807 | 458,951 |
| 1970s | 707,327 | 277,727 |
| 1960s | 833,092 | 105,938 |
| 1950s | 837,471 | 35,796 |
| 1940s | 336,568 | 8,760 |
| 1930s | 56,001 | 6,255 |
| 1920s | 37,893 | 8,566 |
| 1910s | 30,858 | 6,228 |
| 1900s | 5,220 | 1,188 |
| 1890s | 3,926 | 1,132 |
| 1880s | 3,558 | 1,068 |
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.
English form of the Hebrew name Mattityahu (Mattathias), from mattath 'gift' + yah, a short form of the divine name Yahweh. The structure is 'gift of God': 'gift' + the name of God.
Michael is more popular than Matthew today: about 8,094 US babies were given the name Michael in 2025, compared with 7,003 named Matthew.
Michael means Who is like God? (Hebrew origin), while Matthew means gift of Yahweh (hebrew origin).
In US records, Michael first appears in 1880 and Matthew in 1880, so Michael has the longer recorded history.