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Name Lineage

    The first name Mai

    A girl’s name meaning “wheat”, “buy”.

    1 syllable Female Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    Mai means “wheat”, “buy”.

    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.

    A form of Mae.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity

    Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

    In 2025, 19 girls were named Mai, making it the 1,584th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2008, with 39 births (#845).

    02040 1996200020052010201520202025
    563
    babies named Mai, 1996–2025
    #1,584
    rank in 2025
    2008
    peak year

    Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Mai with other names.

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Mai at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 55 girls born in the United States were named Mai, the 3,016th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1990, when 254 were.

    0150300 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    5,697
    babies named Mai since 1880
    #3,016
    rank in 2025
    1990
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Mai

    8 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim
      German chemist, science journalist and television presenter, born 1987
    • Mai Narva
      Estonian chess player (born 1999)
    • Mai Mercado
      Danish politician, born 1980
    • Mai Villadsen
      Danish politician, born 1991
    • Eve-Mai Maurer
      Estonian swimmer (1936-2026)
    • Maret-Mai Otsa
      Estonian basketball player and sports pedagogue (1931-2020)
    • Mai Kivelä
      Finnish politician and activist, born 1982
    • Ma
      Egyptian actress, born 1980

    Questions

    What does the name Mai mean?
    Mai means “wheat”, “buy”.
    How popular is the name Mai?
    In 2025, 19 girls born in England and Wales were named Mai, ranking 1,584th. Its peak was 2008, with 39 births.
    Is Mai a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 5,697 US babies named Mai since 1880 were girls.
    When was Mai most popular?
    1990 in the United States, when 254 babies were named Mai, its highest rank at 795th.
    What name is Mai a form of?
    Mai is a form of Mae.
    Is Mai also a surname?
    Yes. Mai is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.