May
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About May
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.
May is also given to boys.
Pronounced MAY.
As of October 2026, May ranked #1233 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #57 in 1883, Nameberry popularity #773.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,575 | 138 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #1,652 | 130 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #1,651 | 131 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #1,681 | 128 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #1,645 | 129 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #1,601 | 133 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #1,712 | 119 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #1,705 | 122 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #1,446 | 155 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #1,433 | 156 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #1,357 | 168 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #1,233 | 183 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like May.
May on lists
Famous Mays
- Mary Jeanette "May" RobsonGirl
Australian,American actress
- Eleanore Marie "May" SartonGirl
American poet, novelist, and memoirist
- May Helen Emma Abel SmithGirl
Princess of Teck, great,granddaughter of Queen Victoria
- MayGirl
nickname of Mary of Teck, Queen consort of George V of the U.K.
- May Whitty (born Mary Louise Webster)Girl
English actress
- May O'DonnellGirl
American dancer/choreographer
- May Fung Yee PangGirl
American former girlfriend of musician John Lennon
- May J. (born May Hashimoto)Girl
Japanese pop singer
- May AllisonGirl
American actress
- May BrittGirl
Swedish actress
- May McavoyGirl
American silent film actress
- Louisa May AlcottGirl
American novelist
- (Abigail) May Alcott NierikerGirl
American artist and sister of Louisa May Alcott
- Maryum "May May" AliGirl
daughter of boxer Muhammad Ali
- May Rose NivolaGirl
daughter of English actress Emily Mortimer
- (Cecilia) May GibbsGirl
Australian children's author
- May Theodora BenbenGirl
daughter of actors Madeleine Stowe and Brian Benben
- Scarlett May Stuber (b. 2015)Girl
daughter of model Molly Sims
- May Andersen (b. 1982) Danish modelGirl
appeared in Victoria's Secret & Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
- May MartinGirl
Famous British Seamstress
May in pop culture
- May Parker aka Aunt MayGirl
character in Marvel's Spider,Man series
- May "Mayday" Parker aka SpiderGirl
Girl, daughter of Spider,Man
- May WellandGirl
character from "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton
- MayGirl
a main character in Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
- MayGirl
the main female character in the Pokemon Advanced anime series saga
- May SingerGirl
sister of America Singer, The Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass
- May ClutterbucketGirl
a character on TV's "Girl Meets World".
- May KankerGirl
character on animated series "Ed, Edd n Eddy"
- Anna May BatesGirl
character from "Downton Abbey"
- Maggie MayGirl
song by Rod Stewart
- Melinda MayGirl
character in Marvel Universe