Mae
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Mae
Mae, a sweet and springlike old-fashioned name, hadn't been on the national charts in forty years, but finally made it back in 2010. Mae is derived from May, the month name that was chosen for its connection to Maia, the Roman goddess of growth and motherhood.
Mae can be used as a nickname for the names Mary and Margaret — actress Mae West was born Mary. Alternate spellings include May, Mei, and Maye. The May spelling makes it more of a month name, while Mae makes it an antique nickname name. Both can stand on their own, as seen by Hilary Duff's choice of Mae as her daughter's first name.
Mae along with twin sister May is now one of the prettiest and most popular middle name options for girls (Eric Clapton has an Ella Mae, Greg Kinnear an Audrey Mae, Ian Ziering a Penna Mae).
A Top 100 name through 1920, Mae was big in early film history — there were leading actresses named Mae Clarke, Mae Marsh, Mae Busch, and Mae Murray. Towering over them (figuratively) was Mae West, who changed the name from sweet to sophisticated. Madonna also played a character called Mae in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own.
Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman to travel in space. Mae Whitman is a rising young actress seen recently on Parenthood and Arrested Development.
It may be worth noting that Mãe is the Portuguese word for mother, so if you've got Brazilian or Portuguese relatives, it's probably best to stick to May or Mei.
Mae is also given to boys.
Pronounced MAY.
As of October 2026, Mae ranked #501 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #52 in 1895, Nameberry popularity #88.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #686 | 413 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #588 | 513 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #579 | 535 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #640 | 461 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #553 | 561 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #549 | 556 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #574 | 511 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #504 | 620 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #511 | 614 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #506 | 599 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #530 | 574 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #501 | 594 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Mae.
Mae on lists
Famous Maes
- Mary Jane "Mae" WestGirl
American actress
- Mae Carol JemisonGirl
first African,American woman astronaut
- Mae Clarke (born Violet Mary Klotz)Girl
American actress
- Mae QuestelGirl
American actress, voice of cartoon character Betty Boop
- Mae Margaret WhitmanGirl
American actress
- (Johnnie) Mae YoungGirl
American professional wrestler
- Mae Mei LapresGirl
Canadian model
- Anna Mae BullockGirl
birth name of American singer Tina Turner
- (Annie) Mae BuschGirl
Australian actress
- Mae Murray (born Marie Adrienne Koenig)Girl
American actress
- Mary Wayne "Mae" MarshGirl
American actress
- Mae MooreGirl
Canadian singer,songwriter
- VanessaGirl
Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, British violinist
- Kealia Mae Ohai WattGirl
American soccer player
- Mae Akins Roth (b. 2005)Girl
daughter of actors Matt Roth and Laurie Metcalf
- Mae Sandler (b. 2007)Girl
daughter of actors Kathryn Hahn and Ethan Sandler
- Mae Madeleine Wellesley (b. 2010)Girl
daughter of Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Douro and model Jemma Kidd
- Mae Elizabeth Waterman (b. 2010)Girl
daughter of reality TV personality Jen Schefft ("The Bachelorette") and Joe Waterman
- Mae Webb (b. 2014)Girl
daughter of actress Kate Ritchie and Stuart Webb
- May June "Mae" WestGirl
British author, daughter of serial killers Fred and Rose West
Mae in pop culture
- Mae MobleyGirl
character in Kathryn Stockett's "The Help"
- Mae BraddockGirl
character in movie "Cinderella Man"
- Mae "Maeby" FunkeGirl
character on TV's "Arrested Development"
- Mae CaldwellGirl
character in movie "Secondhand Lions"
- MaeGirl
character in "Where'd You Go, Bernadette"
- Mae LoxleyGirl
character in Mr. Selfridge
- Lula Mae BarnesGirl
Holly Golightly's real name in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
- MaeGirl
minor character in the video game "Gravity Rush"
- Mae ShermanGirl
sister of Nikki Sherman in the Main Street books by Anne M Martin
- Mae (Margaret) BorowskiGirl
main character in the video game "Night In The Woods"
- Mae NasserGirl
a character in the Ziva Payvan series written by EJ Fisch
- MaeGirl
American rock band
- Ethel Mae Potter MertzGirl
character in the TV show "I Love Lucy"