Where does the name Mae come from?

Mae is a girl name of Latin origin.

Is Mae a boy or a girl name?

Mae is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 113,663 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Mae in 2023?

Mae ranks #506 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1918 with 2,756 babies.

How do you pronounce Mae?

Mae is pronounced MAY (1 syllable).

What are common spellings of Mae?

Mae is also written as May, Mei, Mai.

A name from Latin · Girl

Mae

A short form of Mary or of May (the month, from Latin Maia, the Roman fertility goddess). Independent as a given name from the 19th century, peaked around 1900 in the U.S.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

113,663 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

599 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

MA short form of Mary or of May (the month, from Latin Maia, the Roman fertility goddess). Independent as a given name from the 19th century, peaked around 1900 in the U.S.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Mae".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

May Most common Mei Mai

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Mae.

M
Mae West (actress)
M
Mae Jemison (first Black female astronaut)
M
Mae Whitman (actress)

Quick answers

People often ask about Mae.

What does the name Mae mean?: Mae means a short form of Mary or of May (the month, from Latin Maia, the Roman fertility goddess). Independent as a given name from the 19th century, peaked around 1900 in the U.S.
Where does the name Mae come from?: Mae is a girl name of Latin origin.
Is Mae a boy or a girl name?: Mae is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 113,663 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Mae in 2023?: Mae ranks #506 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1918 with 2,756 babies.
How do you pronounce Mae?: Mae is pronounced MAY (1 syllable).
What are common spellings of Mae?: Mae is also written as May, Mei, Mai.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.