Michael vs Timothy
Michael and Timothycompared 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 Timothy #329 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2005, Michael was ranked #31 and Timothy #78 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2005, Michael was ranked #31 and Timothy #100 among boys in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Michael was ranked #66 and Timothy #339 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Michael was ranked #66 and Timothy #535 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Michael was ranked #85 and Timothy #382 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2019, Michael was ranked #186 and Timothy #518 among boys in Norway.
Michael and Timothy over time
Michael and Timothy appear together in 6 published lists, across 267 years of shared records. Michael held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Timothy in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Michael reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Timothy 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 54 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Michael and Timothy averaged 27.0 places apart, ending at #31 and #78.
- Longest-running competitions
Michael and Timothy were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 54 years, from 1952 to 2005, ending at #31 and #78.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Michael #22 in 1996, Timothy #82 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys62 shared years, 1964–2025
Michael held the stronger position in 62 of those years, Timothy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Michael #2 in 1966, Timothy #26 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Michael #22, Timothy #329.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys54 shared years, 1952–2005
Michael held the stronger position in 54 of those years, Timothy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Michael #1 in 1974, Timothy #11 in 1984.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Michael #31, Timothy #78.
New Zealand · Boys53 shared years, 1954–2005
Michael held the stronger position in 52 of those years, Timothy in 1.
Highest recorded here: Michael #1 in 1968, Timothy #10 in 1981.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Michael #31, Timothy #100.
Norway · Boys41 shared years, 1957–2019
Michael held the stronger position in 41 of those years, Timothy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Michael #48 in 1990, Timothy #413 in 1988.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Michael #186, Timothy #518.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Michael held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Timothy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Michael #22 in 1996, Timothy #82 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Michael #85, Timothy #382.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Michael held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Timothy in 0.
Highest recorded here: Michael #7 in 1997, Timothy #75 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Michael #66, Timothy #339.
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 | Timothy |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Greek Timotheos, literally 'honouring God', combining 'timao' (to honour) with 'theos' (god). Saint Timothy accompanied the Apostle Paul on missionary journeys. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmaɪkəl/ | /ˈtɪm.ə.θi/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| 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 #329 (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 | medium |
What the data shows
- Michael is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Timothy is recorded with a Greek origin.
- Michael has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Timothy.
- Michael's recorded meaning differs from Timothy's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
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
Timothy
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #61 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1954–2005
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New Zealand, in 1981 (recorded 1954–2005).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #329 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys