Mai
Girl nameMai has been given to 5,697 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1990. In 2025, about 1 in 29,223 girls was named Mai.
Meaning & origin
Chinese surname with several origins: * from Mandarin 麥 / 麦 (“wheat”), * from Mandarin and Cantonese 買 / 买 (maai5, “buy”) * Cantonese form of 米 (see Mi). * Romanized from 马 (mǎ) (see Ma) * Romanized from 梅 (méi) (see Mei) As a German surname, variant of May.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
5,697
Peak year
1990 (254 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▲ +20%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Spellings & variants
Names one letter away from Mai — alternate spellings parents actually use.
Famous people named Mai
Mai Aizawa
Japanese association football player
Mai Zetterling
Swedish actress and film director (1925–1994)
Mai Kuraki
Japanese J-pop singer
Mai Charoenpura
Thai singer and actress
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Mai.
FAQ
How popular is the name Mai?
Mai has been given to 5,697 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.
When did the name Mai peak?
Mai peaked in 1990, when 254 babies were given the name.
Is Mai a girl or boy name?
Mai is primarily a girl name (100% of babies named Mai are girls).
Get new name insights first
Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.