May

Meaning: The month of May
Origin: English (from Latin via Old French) — From Maia, a Roman goddess

Girl's name · #1233 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Popularity over time

May was #57 in 1880, slipped to #2476 by 2006, and has climbed back to #1233 today. About 49,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where May is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 19 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how May ranks in other countries and regions.

#317 in Scotland (2025) · #481 in Norway (2025) · #617 in England & Wales (2025) · #782 in Sweden (2025) · #801 in Netherlands (2025) · #827 in Ireland (2025) · #934 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,216 in France (2025) · #2,329 in Switzerland (2025) · #1,066 in Canada (2024).

Famous Mays

May Ziadeh — Lebanese-Palestinian writer (1886–1941)
May Whitty — English actress (1865–1948)
May Robson — Australian-born American actress (1858–1942)
May Calamawy — Egyptian-Palestinian actress
May Britt — Swedish actress (1934–2025)

In stories & tradition

May — Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire (anime series)
May (Spider-Girl) — Marvel Comics
May Day — A View to a Kill (film)

What Mays become

Among 601 notable people named May:

Entertainers appear 2.16× more often than among typical names — e.g. May Whitty, English actress (1865–1948).

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variant Mae (#501), May would rank around #401 with about 780 births last year — the newborns split about 76/24 between Mae and May.

Similar names: Louisa · Mae · Shay · Nellie · Ollie · Allie

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service