Michael vs Patrick
Michael and Patrickcompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Michael was ranked #22 and Patrick #25 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Michael was ranked #66 and Patrick #26 among boys in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Michael was ranked #62 and Patrick #83 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Michael was ranked #66 and Patrick #125 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2020, Michael was ranked #81 and Patrick #93 among boys in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Michael was ranked #85 and Patrick #120 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Michael was ranked #195 and Patrick #327 among boys in Norway.
Michael and Patrick over time
Michael and Patrick appear together in 6 published lists, across 328 years of shared records. Michael held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Patrick in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Patrick reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Michael in 2. 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Patrick moved ahead of Michael in Northern Ireland · Boys — #35 and #53 the year before became #49 and #40.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Michael and Patrick changed places 4 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1952 and 2025, ending at #62 and #83.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Michael and Patrick averaged 52.4 places apart, ending at #85 and #120.
- Longest-running competitions
Michael and Patrick were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 74 years, from 1952 to 2025, ending at #62 and #83.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Michael #22 in 1996, Patrick #66 in 1996.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys74 shared years, 1952–2025
Michael held the stronger position in 71 of those years, Patrick in 3.
Highest recorded here: Michael #1 in 1974, Patrick #30 in 1994.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Michael #62, Patrick #83.
Norway · Boys70 shared years, 1948–2025
Michael held the stronger position in 54 of those years, Patrick in 16.
Highest recorded here: Michael #48 in 1990, Patrick #67 in 1989.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Michael #195, Patrick #327.
New Zealand · Boys65 shared years, 1954–2020
Michael held the stronger position in 64 of those years, Patrick in 1.
Highest recorded here: Michael #1 in 1968, Patrick #45 in 1967.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Michael #81, Patrick #93.
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
Michael held the stronger position in 57 of those years, Patrick in 5.
Highest recorded here: Michael #2 in 1966, Patrick #2 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Michael #22, Patrick #25.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Michael held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Patrick in 0.
Highest recorded here: Michael #22 in 1996, Patrick #66 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Michael #85, Patrick #120.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Michael held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Patrick in 5.
Highest recorded here: Michael #7 in 1997, Patrick #18 in 2003.
The order changed in 2023: Patrick moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #35 and #53; by 2023 that had become #49 and #40.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Michael #66, Patrick #26.
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 | Michael | Patrick |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as a rhetorical question, 'Who is like God?', implying no one compares to God. | From Latin Patricius, meaning 'nobleman, patrician'. Adopted by Saint Patrick (originally named Sucat), a Romanized Briton who Christianized Ireland and became its patron saint. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Latin |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmaɪkəl/ | /ˈpæt.ɹɪk/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Pádraig, Pádraic |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #22 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #25 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Michael is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Patrick is recorded with a Latin origin.
- Michael and Patrick both have 2 syllables.
- Michael's recorded meaning differs from Patrick's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Michael a "medium" Data Confidence level and Patrick a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
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
Patrick
Popularity journey
First recorded1948
First recorded at #315 among boys in Norway in 1948 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #83 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys