Michael has to be one of the most common names which makes the chances higher that there are going to be “better” Mikes. I’ll follow this post up with a more obscure name that produces results. Anyway, I can’t think of a more famous name to produce these talents. In no particular order.

Michael Johnson

Probably one of the more overlooked Micheal’s but considering he still holds the world & Olympic record in the 400, he shouldn’t be. Who can forget his famous gold shoes and the 4 gold medals he has won during the Olympics. Johnson was elected to the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004, where his 200 m performance at the 1996 Olympics was named the greatest track and field moment of the last 25 years. Let’s not forget the “World’s Fastest Man” of 1997.

Michael Phelps

When you win gold medals at the Olympics you are usually the best in the world which should automatically make you one of the most famous. Phelps won 8 gold medals during the 2008 Beijing Olympics to go along with his 8 (6 gold, 2 bronze) during the games in Athens. I find him to be pretty interesting. He got a DUI at the age of 19, I remember there being some picture of him with a bong and let’s not forget the whole stripper fiasco. At 6-4 he’s obviously a beast and he intends to compete in the 2012 games. I think he may have lost a step or two but what do I know.

Michael Jordan

This list would never be complete without MJ. I think MJ is probably the most famous Michael of all time. He dominated the game of basketball for 6 championships. He was talented enough to play Double A baseball batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, and 11 errors in a season. He’s a scratch golfer. He pretty much just owns life.

Michael Crichton

At 6-9, he was just another tall Michael to be famous. His most popular books were Jurassic Park, Eaters of the Dead, Congo, Sphere and Disclosure. He sold more than 150 million books worldwide. I just remember Jurassic Park being one of the first “real” books I ever read and something always struck me about Michael Crichton being a great author. He died back in 2008 which I didn’t even realize but I guess that’s why I haven’t heard much about him in the news.

Michael Douglas

He taught us that “Greed is Good”. If the movie has Michael Douglas in it, you can at least be sure the movie isn’t going to completely suck (although the new Wall Street…) I particularly liked Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, Basic Instinct, Falling Down, The Game, A Perfect Murder, Traffic and even the In Laws. He has throat cancer and I imagine we only have a few more years left with this legend of film.

The bottom line is if you want your kid to have a chance at being the best at something, name him Michael. Obvious missing Michael’s – Jackson, Moore, J Fox, Scott, Angelo, Vick.