May
May is an English feminine given name. It is derived from the name of the month, which comes from Maia, the name of a Roman fertility goddess.
Meaning & Origin of May
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
May is an English feminine given name. It is derived from the name of the month, which comes from Maia, the name of a Roman fertility goddess.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of May
May first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 462 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1919, when 981 Mays were born — ranking #194 that year. As of 2026, May ranks #1,270 for baby girls with 181 births, rising sharply (+32% over the past five years). In total, more than 50K Mays have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named May
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Mary of Teck (1867–1953), queen consort of George V, King of the United Kingdom. She was informally referred to as "May".
- May Allison (1890–1989), American actress
- May Allison (runner) (born 1964), Canadian runner
- May Arida (1926–2018), Lebanese socialite
- May Arslan (1928–2013), member of the Lebanese Arslan family
- May Britt (1934–2025), Swedish actress
- May Bukhari (born 1999), British social media influencer
- May Chidiac (born 1964), Lebanese journalist and politician
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like May
Phonetically similar names — useful when May is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about May
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About the name May
May is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 50K births in the dataset. May's peak popularity came in 1919 when it ranked #57. Use the chart and map above to compare May's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1919 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.