Sterling vs Michael
How Sterling and Michael compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
Sterling
Male · English
Meaning: Of High Quality: Pure.: Also Variant Of A Name Given Pre-Medieval Refiners Of Silver Meaning Easterner. Surname.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Sterling (boys) vs Michael (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Sterling | Michael |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 2025 — 944 boys | 1957 — 92,786 boys |
| Peak rank | #346 | #1 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #346 (944 births) | #21 (8,094 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 13,519 | 4,426,620 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 7,948 | 101,773 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Michael reached 92,786 US births in 1957 — 91,842 more than Sterling's peak count.
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name list.
Sterling — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | #147 | 65 |
| 2 | Alaska | #188 | 45 |
| 3 | South Dakota | #198 | 38 |
| 4 | Idaho | #224 | 95 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | #245 | 195 |
Michael — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | #5 | 3,719 |
| 2 | New York | #7 | 7,385 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | #9 | 4,259 |
| 4 | Connecticut | #10 | 1,324 |
| 5 | Florida | #11 | 6,385 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →