Mads vs Michael
Mads and Michaelcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2023, Mads was ranked #4991 and Michael #88 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Mads was ranked #285 and Michael #195 among boys in Norway.
Mads and Michael over time
Mads and Michael appear together in 1 published list, across 80 years of shared records. Michael held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Mads in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Mads reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Michael in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Mads and Michael changed places 8 times in Norway · Boys between 1945 and 2025, ending at #285 and #195.
- Longest-running competitions
Mads and Michael were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 80 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #285 and #195.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — Mads #46 in 1988, Michael #48 in 1990.
List by list
Norway · Boys80 shared years, 1945–2025
Mads held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Michael in 58.
Highest recorded here: Mads #46 in 1988, Michael #48 in 1990.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Mads #285, Michael #195.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Mads | Michael |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Commonly interpreted as a rhetorical question, 'Who is like God?', implying no one compares to God. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈmaɪkəl/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #285 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #22 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Michael has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Mads does not have one recorded yet.
- Mads has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Michael.
- A meaning is recorded for Michael; Mads doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Mads
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #288 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #46 among boys in Norway, in 1988 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #285 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Michael
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #259 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1974 (recorded 1952–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #62 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys