Michael
Michael is a male given name: 99% of people named Michael are men, and it is recorded as male in 19 of the 19 countries covered.
Michael · Michaël
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Germany, Denmark
- Also spelled
- Michaël
- US births since 1880
- 4,350,824 male / 21,712 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Michael
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Michael," in English, "Guten Tag Michael," in German. Michael is a male given name: about 99% of people named Michael are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Michael,
German
Guten Tag Michael,
French
Bonjour Michael,
Spanish
Estimado/a Michael:
Chinese
Michael您好：
Japanese
Michael様
English
Hi Michael,
German
Hi Michael,
French
Salut Michael,
Spanish
Hola Michael,
Chinese
Michael你好：
Japanese
Michaelさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 100% |
| Germany | common | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | common | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | common | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Austria | common | man's name | 98% |
| East Frisia | common | man's name | 98% |
| Israel | common | man's name | 98% |
| Malta | common | man's name | 98% |
| Armenia | common | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
Show all 19 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| France | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Luxembourg | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Czech Republic | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Slovakia | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
4,350,824 male · 21,712 female · 4,372,536 births recorded
Since 1980: 99% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Michael a male or female name?
Michael is a male given name: 99% of people named Michael are men, and it is recorded as male in 19 of the 19 countries covered.
How do I address Michael in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Michael," in English, "Guten Tag Michael," in German. Michael is a male given name: about 99% of people named Michael are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Michael a unisex name?
Michael is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Michael are men. Michael leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Michael a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/michael (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_michael,
title = {Is Michael a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/michael},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}