May is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what May means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named May across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular May has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
May is a girl name of English origin meaning “the month of May”. From the spring month, also a pet form of Mary or Margaret.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 50,099 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 2,114 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 185 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 29 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 255 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named May per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1919 (991/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2007 (137/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2017 (16/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2025 (11/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2016 (6/yr).
May has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1919, when it ranked #344 nationally (given to 991 babies that year).
Mia · Maya · Mae · Mya · Maia · Miah · Myah · Mai
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