Meaning not yet researched.
May: US girls given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 183 in 2025. Its best rank was #57 in 1883.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #57 in 1883; #1,233 in 2025. Every baby recorded as May in 2025 was a girl.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,233 for US girls in 2025. Its best year was 1883, at #57.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
May: US girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 183 girls in 2025. Peak: #57 in 1883 · most girls in one year: 981 (1919).
In 2025, 183 US girls were named May, making it the 1,233rd most common girls’ name of the year, up 128 places from #1,361 in 2024. That is 15 more than the 168 girls named May in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #57, reached in 1883. The most girls given the name in a single year was 981, in 1919. For comparison, it was #1,652 in 2015 and #623 in 1950.
Social Security card records list May in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 462 babies with the name. In all, 50,099 US babies have been given the name, 99% of them girls and 1.4% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 8,304 babies named May.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 1,425 US girls were named May; the busiest of those years was 2025, with 183. In 2025 that was about 1 in 8,783 of the girls in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, May ranked highest in Oregon in 2025, at #527 for girls there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Mae (115,441 babies since 1880), Mayme (10,928 babies since 1880), Mai (5,697 babies since 1880) and Maylee (4,596 babies since 1880). The open nickname list we use links it to Mae.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in English. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US girls. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five girls got the name, so 35 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 7 | #527 | — |
| Washington | 12 | #566 | #1,235 |
| Utah | 6 | #679 | — |
| Colorado | 8 | #684 | — |
| Maryland | 6 | #805 | — |
| Massachusetts | 5 | #960 | — |
| Missouri | 5 | #1,039 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | #1,075 | — |
| Michigan | 6 | #1,169 | — |
| California | 21 | #1,214 | #1,100 |
| New Jersey | 5 | #1,295 | — |
| New York | 9 | #1,479 | #1,188 |
| Texas | 16 | #1,511 | #2,155 |
| Illinois | 5 | #1,553 | #1,394 |
| Ohio | 5 | #1,626 | — |
| Florida | 6 | #2,061 | — |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 183 | #1,233 | — | — |
| 2024 | 168 | #1,361 | — | — |
| 2023 | 156 | #1,437 | — | — |
| 2022 | 155 | #1,446 | — | — |
| 2021 | 123 | #1,690 | — | — |
| 2020 | 119 | #1,714 | — | — |
| 2019 | 133 | #1,602 | — | — |
| 2018 | 129 | #1,645 | — | — |
| 2017 | 128 | #1,682 | — | — |
| 2016 | 131 | #1,651 | — | — |
| 2015 | 130 | #1,652 | — | — |
| 2014 | 138 | #1,575 | — | — |
| 2013 | 109 | #1,859 | — | — |
| 2012 | 106 | #1,900 | — | — |
| 2011 | 88 | #2,170 | — | — |
| 2010 | 107 | #1,892 | — | — |
| 2009 | 80 | #2,413 | — | — |
| 2008 | 94 | #2,150 | — | — |
| 2007 | 92 | #2,171 | — | — |
| 2006 | 75 | #2,476 | — | — |
| 2005 | 95 | #2,000 | — | — |
| 2004 | 85 | #2,131 | — | — |
| 2003 | 92 | #1,980 | — | — |
| 2002 | 91 | #1,947 | — | — |
| 2001 | 91 | #1,917 | — | — |
| 2000 | 89 | #1,917 | — | — |
| 1999 | 73 | #2,110 | — | — |
| 1998 | 69 | #2,115 | — | — |
| 1997 | 85 | #1,778 | — | — |
| 1996 | 86 | #1,744 | 6 | #8,624 |
| 1995 | 83 | #1,757 | — | — |
| 1994 | 95 | #1,602 | — | — |
| 1993 | 79 | #1,839 | — | — |
| 1992 | 74 | #1,903 | 7 | #7,153 |
| 1991 | 87 | #1,699 | 7 | #7,017 |
| 1990 | 84 | #1,751 | 9 | #5,662 |
| 1989 | 101 | #1,458 | 6 | #7,587 |
| 1988 | 87 | #1,537 | 11 | #4,357 |
| 1987 | 101 | #1,358 | 6 | #6,659 |
| 1986 | 115 | #1,213 | 8 | #5,163 |
| 1985 | 135 | #1,079 | — | — |
| 1984 | 126 | #1,100 | 5 | #6,982 |
| 1983 | 130 | #1,069 | 9 | #4,368 |
| 1982 | 154 | #964 | 9 | #4,461 |
| 1981 | 145 | #1,006 | — | — |
| 1980 | 129 | #1,087 | 5 | #6,907 |
| 1979 | 108 | #1,207 | — | — |
| 1978 | 81 | #1,430 | — | — |
| 1977 | 85 | #1,342 | — | — |
| 1976 | 77 | #1,388 | — | — |
| 1975 | 89 | #1,262 | — | — |
| 1974 | 89 | #1,231 | — | — |
| 1973 | 98 | #1,135 | — | — |
| 1972 | 78 | #1,309 | — | — |
| 1971 | 113 | #1,069 | — | — |
| 1970 | 93 | #1,210 | — | — |
| 1969 | 93 | #1,158 | — | — |
| 1968 | 100 | #1,049 | — | — |
| 1967 | 97 | #1,055 | — | — |
| 1966 | 105 | #1,007 | — | — |
| 1965 | 109 | #999 | 7 | #3,447 |
| 1964 | 113 | #1,013 | — | — |
| 1963 | 109 | #1,025 | 5 | #4,426 |
| 1962 | 119 | #982 | 8 | #3,215 |
| 1961 | 127 | #959 | 9 | #3,028 |
| 1960 | 139 | #891 | 6 | #3,919 |
| 1959 | 141 | #868 | — | — |
| 1958 | 144 | #852 | — | — |
| 1957 | 146 | #843 | — | — |
| 1956 | 165 | #760 | 8 | #3,114 |
| 1955 | 183 | #695 | 6 | #3,753 |
| 1954 | 190 | #676 | 7 | #3,354 |
| 1953 | 171 | #700 | — | — |
| 1952 | 178 | #667 | — | — |
| 1951 | 222 | #577 | — | — |
| 1950 | 184 | #623 | 5 | #4,017 |
| 1949 | 205 | #580 | — | — |
| 1948 | 221 | #559 | — | — |
| 1947 | 233 | #559 | — | — |
| 1946 | 195 | #572 | — | — |
| 1945 | 203 | #514 | 5 | #3,620 |
| 1944 | 227 | #473 | 6 | #3,334 |
| 1943 | 219 | #504 | — | — |
| 1942 | 280 | #435 | 9 | #2,645 |
| 1941 | 251 | #431 | 8 | #2,806 |
| 1940 | 285 | #408 | 8 | #2,793 |
| 1939 | 257 | #423 | 10 | #2,392 |
| 1938 | 274 | #404 | 5 | #3,859 |
| 1937 | 292 | #379 | 11 | #2,290 |
| 1936 | 318 | #355 | 14 | #1,938 |
| 1935 | 352 | #338 | 9 | #2,649 |
| 1934 | 371 | #325 | 15 | #1,906 |
| 1933 | 404 | #309 | 9 | #2,666 |
| 1932 | 440 | #301 | 10 | #2,571 |
| 1931 | 481 | #285 | 14 | #2,069 |
| 1930 | 554 | #270 | 15 | #2,032 |
| 1929 | 579 | #267 | 15 | #2,069 |
| 1928 | 705 | #236 | 12 | #2,481 |
| 1927 | 744 | #236 | 11 | #2,641 |
| 1926 | 767 | #232 | 13 | #2,377 |
| 1925 | 849 | #221 | 22 | #1,660 |
| 1924 | 868 | #222 | 16 | #2,101 |
| 1923 | 864 | #220 | 8 | #3,358 |
| 1922 | 855 | #224 | 13 | #2,434 |
| 1921 | 977 | #205 | 12 | #2,583 |
| 1920 | 956 | #204 | 18 | #1,934 |
| 1919 | 981 | #194 | 10 | #2,803 |
| 1918 | 961 | #200 | 21 | #1,690 |
| 1917 | 945 | #195 | 17 | #1,875 |
| 1916 | 938 | #190 | 16 | #1,915 |
| 1915 | 974 | #175 | 16 | #1,854 |
| 1914 | 769 | #175 | 14 | #1,741 |
| 1913 | 695 | #167 | 11 | #1,765 |
| 1912 | 698 | #153 | 5 | #2,781 |
| 1911 | 541 | #149 | 5 | #1,916 |
| 1910 | 594 | #138 | 6 | #1,527 |
| 1909 | 483 | #146 | 5 | #1,618 |
| 1908 | 515 | #134 | — | — |
| 1907 | 544 | #120 | 8 | #1,065 |
| 1906 | 524 | #119 | — | — |
| 1905 | 530 | #119 | 6 | #1,187 |
| 1904 | 555 | #109 | — | — |
| 1903 | 541 | #107 | 7 | #981 |
| 1902 | 560 | #107 | 10 | #778 |
| 1901 | 550 | #95 | 6 | #1,020 |
| 1900 | 744 | #91 | 5 | #1,434 |
| 1899 | 571 | #95 | — | — |
| 1898 | 696 | #86 | — | — |
| 1897 | 595 | #91 | 8 | #834 |
| 1896 | 671 | #82 | — | — |
| 1895 | 691 | #80 | — | — |
| 1894 | 763 | #71 | 8 | #836 |
| 1893 | 693 | #73 | 6 | #987 |
| 1892 | 753 | #70 | 10 | #732 |
| 1891 | 696 | #68 | 5 | #1,066 |
| 1890 | 751 | #65 | 5 | #1,103 |
| 1889 | 723 | #64 | 9 | #705 |
| 1888 | 782 | #63 | 11 | #632 |
| 1887 | 648 | #61 | 5 | #1,011 |
| 1886 | 602 | #64 | 8 | #736 |
| 1885 | 607 | #61 | 5 | #1,039 |
| 1884 | 564 | #61 | — | — |
| 1883 | 532 | #57 | 6 | #856 |
| 1882 | 510 | #59 | 8 | #734 |
| 1881 | 451 | #58 | — | — |
| 1880 | 462 | #57 | — | — |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).