May

Diminutive of Margaret and Mary; month name

"drop of the sea; bitter; beloved; love"

Updated Thu Sep 19 2024

May Origin and Meaning

The name May is a girl's name of English origin.

May is a sweet old-fashioned name that hasn't been on the national charts in several decades, but is definitely sounding fresh and springlike. Parents are beginning to see it once more as one of the prettiest middle name options. May was as high on the list as Number 57 in the 1880s; it's now 228 on Nameberry.

May started as one of the innumerable pet forms of Mary and Margaret, as well as a springtime month name along with April and June. She's represented in literature by May Bartram in Henry James's The Beast in the Jungle and May Welland in Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence.

Actresses Emily Morton and Madeline Stowe named their daughters May, and Eric Clapton and Jodie Sweetin used it in middle place for theirs.

# 963 in the US

May Rank in US Top 1000

# 511 on Nameberry

May Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

May Popularity

511Nameberry2024
426Unique2023
662England2021
92Israel2020

20 Names Similar to May

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like May.

Famous People Named May

Mary Jeanette "May" RobsonAustralian,American actress
Eleanore Marie "May" SartonAmerican poet, novelist, and memoirist
May Helen Emma Abel SmithPrincess of Teck, great,granddaughter of Queen Victoria
Maynickname of Mary of Teck, Queen consort of George V of the U.K.
May Whitty (born Mary Louise Webster)English actress
May O'DonnellAmerican dancer/choreographer
May Fung Yee PangAmerican former girlfriend of musician John Lennon
May J. (born May Hashimoto)Japanese pop singer
May AllisonAmerican actress
May BrittSwedish actress
May McavoyAmerican silent film actress

Louisa May AlcottAmerican novelist
(Abigail) May Alcott NierikerAmerican artist and sister of Louisa May Alcott
Maryum "May May" Alidaughter of boxer Muhammad Ali
May Rose Nivoladaughter of English actress Emily Mortimer
(Cecilia) May GibbsAustralian children's author
May Theodora Benbendaughter of actors Madeleine Stowe and Brian Benben
Scarlett May Stuber (b. 2015)daughter of model Molly Sims
May Andersen (b. 1982) Danish modelappeared in Victoria's Secret & Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
May MartinFamous British Seamstress

May in Pop Culture

May Parker aka Aunt Maycharacter in Marvel's Spider,Man series
May "Mayday" Parker aka SpiderGirl, daughter of Spider,Man
May Wellandcharacter from "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton
Maya main character in Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
Maythe main female character in the Pokemon Advanced anime series saga
May Singersister of America Singer, The Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass
May Kusekabe from Studio Ghibli's My Neighbor Totoro
May Clutterbucketa character on TV's "Girl Meets World".
May Kankercharacter on animated series "Ed, Edd n Eddy"
Anna May Batescharacter from "Downton Abbey"
Maggie Maysong by Rod Stewart

Melinda Maycharacter in Marvel Universe

May