Maye
Maye was the 10614th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 9 babies. Its best year was 1903, when it ranked 511th; the most babies were born in 1921 (58). Over the last ten years it has moved up 14 places. More babies were named Maye in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Mae) pet form of Mary or Margaret · English
- Rank in 2025
- #10,614 girls, up 3,903 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 9girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192158 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,956babies recorded
What does the name Maye mean?
Maye is a spelling of Mae, pronounced the same way, so it shares Mae's meaning and origin.
Mae is a spelling of May, a pet form of Mary or Margaret, as Wiktionary notes; the Random House dictionary calls it a form of Mary. It is popular as a middle name and was fashionable as a first name in the US around 1900, a style the actress Mae West made famous. DMNES notes that the meaning of Mary's Hebrew original is uncertain.
How sure is this? Well established. Mae is a pet form; its parent names have uncertain (Mary) or Greek ('pearl', Margaret) meanings.
Related names: May, Mary, Margaret, Maisie.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mae', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Mae', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mary', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Maye popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,614 | 9 |
| 2020 | #14,517 | 6 |
| 2010 | #16,281 | 6 |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | #6,990 | 5 |
| 1950 | #3,594 | 10 |
| 1940 | #2,521 | 12 |
| 1930 | #2,173 | 16 |
| 1920 | #1,010 | 54 |
| 1910 | #763 | 32 |
| 1900 | #587 | 36 |
| 1890 | #634 | 18 |
| 1880 | #617 | 9 |
How popular is Maye, counting every spelling?
Maye is a spelling of Mae, a name family that ranked #366 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #10,614 for Maye on its own. Together these spellings went to 903 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mae | 594 | #501 | 3,007 |
| May | 183 | #1,233 | 785 |
| Mei | 117 | #1,744 | 418 |
| Maye | 9 | #10,614 | 50 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Maye?
9 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Maye (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Maye born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 930 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Maye.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Maye?
About 300 people born in the US named Maye are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 9 and 81. That makes Maye a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Maye: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Maye, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Maye
What does Maye mean?
Maye is a spelling of Mae, which means “pet form of Mary or Margaret” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Maye?
Maye was the 10614th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 9 babies. Its best year was 1903, when it ranked 511th; the most babies were born in 1921 (58). Over the last ten years it has moved up 14 places. More babies were named Maye in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Maye a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Maye in the US.