Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Maye is a variant of May. An origin associated with May is Latin.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Maye through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,956
- 0 boys · 1,956 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 58 babies
- 2025
- 9
- #10,614 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +43%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 10,614 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 42.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 58 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 559 as a first name in 2020; 4,206 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Maye’s family of names
Maye has a related form in May. In English usage, Maye as a surname has a related form in Maze.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Maye
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Maye, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Mamie
Mamie is connected with Margaret and Mary in English naming traditions.
>99% girls
Margret
“resembling a pearl” · “the child of light”
>99% girls
Mable
“one who is lovable”
>99% girls
Margie
Margie is a feminine given name. It is used in English and Cebuano.
>99% girls
Mallie
“one who is sweet and gentle” · “star of the sea”
>99% girls
Minnie
“determined protector”
>99% girls
Maebelle
>99% girls
Marjory
Marjory is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek.
>99% girls