ESC 

Name Rank Total 

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1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1990

Peak Year

#738

Peak Rank

6K

Total Count

122

Years Active

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## Meaning & Origin of Mai

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 

Mai is a name that is used as a given name and a surname.

Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai%5F%28name%29)

### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

* Vietnamese
* Japanese
* Estonian
* Norwegian
* Danish
* Breton
* Arabic

📖

## The Story of Mai

Mai first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1990: 254 births, good for #793 nationwide. About 29% of every Mai on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Mai ranks #3,199 for baby girls with 50 births, holding steady (+5%). All told, over 6K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

## Popularity Over Time

## Popularity by State

ME

WA

MT

ND

MN

WI

MI

NY

VT

NH

MA

OR

ID

SD

IA

IL

IN

OH

PA

NJ

CT

RI

CA

NV

WY

NE

MO

KY

WV

VA

MD

DE

DC

UT

CO

KS

AR

TN

NC

SC

AK

AZ

NM

OK

LA

MS

AL

GA

HI

TX

FL

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

🔗

## Variants & Related Forms of Mai

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Mai. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* Maarika
* Maarja
* [Maia](/maia)
* [Maie](/maie)
* [Maiken](/maiken)
* Maj
* [Maja](/maja)
* [Majken](/majken)
* Mall
* Malle
* [Mare](/mare)
* [Maren](/maren)
* [Mari](/mari)
* [Maria](/maria)
* [Marie](/marie)
* [Marika](/marika)
* [Maris](/maris)
* [Marje](/marje)
* Marju
* [Mia](/mia)
* [Miriam](/miriam)
* Mirjam

⭐

## Notable people named Mai

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. 

* ●Mai (Arabic name)
* ●Mai (Ra'iatean man) , also known as Omai, the first person from the Pacific Islands to visit Europe
* ●Mai (singer) (born 1984), formerly known as Ruppina, a J-Pop singer
* ●Mai Atafo , Nigerian fashion designer
* ●Mai Charoenpura , Thai pop singer from Bangkok
* ●Mai Fuchigami (born 1987), Japanese voice actress and singer
* ●Mai Fujisawa ( 藤澤 麻衣 ; born 1980) , Japanese singer and songwriter
* ●Mai Fukagawa (born 1991), Japanese actress and former singer

Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai%5F%28name%29)

🎶

## Names that sound like Mai

Phonetically similar names — useful when Mai is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [My](/my)
* [Mei](/mei)
* Mye
* Myy
* Maih
* [Me](/me)
* [May](/may)
* [Ma](/ma)
* [Mee](/mee)
* Maw
* [Mi](/mi)
* Meh

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. 

❓

## Frequently Asked Questions about Mai

What does the name Mai mean?

Mai is a name that is used as a given name and a surname.

What is the origin of the name Mai?

Mai has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Vietnamese, Japanese, Estonian, Norwegian, Danish, Breton, Arabic.

How popular is Mai in 2026?

In 2026, Mai ranks #3,199 among girls' names in the U.S., with 50 babies given the name that year.

When was Mai most popular?

Mai reached its peak popularity in 1990, ranking #738 that year with 254 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Mai most popular?

Mai has historically been most popular in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Rhode Island. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Mai.

Is Mai a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Mai is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Mai?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Mai include Alba, Euphemia, Joella. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Mai?

Common variants and related forms of Mai include Maarika, Maarja, Maia, Maie, Maiken, Maj. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

## Similar Names

[👧AlbaPeak #738](/alba)[👧EuphemiaPeak #738](/euphemia)[👧JoellaPeak #738](/joella)[👧LaniePeak #738](/lanie)[👧LeanaPeak #738](/leana)[👧MenaPeak #738](/mena)[👧ArdenPeak #738](/arden)[👧StefaniPeak #738](/stefani)

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## About the name Mai 

Mai is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 6K births in the dataset. Mai's peak popularity came in 1990 when it ranked #738\. Use the chart and map above to compare Mai's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1990 → ](/year/1990)
* [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s)
* [ Names starting with "M" → ](/letter/m)
* [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
* Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides. 

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