How popular is the name Michelle?

Michelle ranks 15th among girls' names in US records, with 1,045,845 births since 1915. Over the past decade it accounts for 11,543.

Is Michelle a unisex name?

No. Michelle is recorded almost entirely as a girls' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.

1969, when 44,875 children were given the name. It has been in use for 110 years and is still recorded as of 2024.

Michele. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.

Girl name#15 of girl names

Pronounced M IH0 SH EH1 L (ARPABET)

Michelle is a girls' name, and first appears in 1915. It has been given to 1,045,845 children — the 15th most common girls' name on record.

It is falling away, down 61% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1969, when 44,875 children were given it.

Michele is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.

1969Girls: 44,875Boys: 223

These spellings sound identical to Michelle and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

Phonetic detail

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

How popular is the name Michelle?: Michelle ranks 15th among girls' names in US records, with 1,045,845 births since 1915. Over the past decade it accounts for 11,543.
Is Michelle a unisex name?: No. Michelle is recorded almost entirely as a girls' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Michelle most popular?: 1969, when 44,875 children were given the name. It has been in use for 110 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Michelle spelled?: Michele. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.