How common is the surname May?

103,306 people in the United States had the surname May in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,989 Americans. It ranked 304th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname May?

In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named May identified as white (not Hispanic), and 9.6% as Black (not Hispanic).

Who is the most famous person named May?

Ralphie May, American stand-up comedian, followed by Rollo May.

Where is the surname May most common?

Wikidata records people named May in the United States, the United Kingdom and Austria and 3 other countries.

Is the surname May getting more or less common?

More common. 101,726 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 103,306 in 2010, up 1.6%.

Is May also a first name?

Yes. May is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname May

A French surname, carried by 103,306 people in the United States.

Pronounced /meɪ/ 1 syllable Soundex M000 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). May is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

French origin

From Middle English May, Mai, from Old French mai, from Latin Maius (“Maia's month”), from Maia, a Roman earth goddess.

One of 791 French surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 103,306 people named May in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,989 Americans. That is up 1.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 101,726.

#304

rank among US surnames

103,306

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+1.6%

change since 2000 (was #270)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#295	Walsh	105,079	2,938
#296	Bowman	105,007	2,940
#297	Schultz	104,888	2,944
#298	Luna	104,518	2,954
#299	Fowler	104,515	2,954
#300	Mejia	104,057	2,967
#301	Davidson	103,930	2,971

Who is named May

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

84% of people named May identified as white (not Hispanic), 9.6% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.0% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 84%
Black (not Hispanic) 9.6%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.0%
Two or more races 1.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Mays

41 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ralphie May
American stand-up comedian, 1972–2017
Rollo May
American psychologist (1909–1994)
Elaine May
American screenwriter, film director, actress, and comedian (b. 1932)
Isabel May
American actress (born 2000)
Jodhi May
British actress, born 1975
Fiona May
British-born Italian long jumper, born 1969
Misty May-Treanor
American beach volleyball player, born 1977
Robert May, Baron May of Oxford
Australian scientist who has been Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government (1936-2020
Mia May
Austrian actress (1884-1980)
Eva May
Austrian actress (1902–1924)
Torsten May
Boxer, born 1969
Peter May
British and French writer (1951–2026)

Notable Mays come mostly from the United States (26), the United Kingdom (6) and Austria (4).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like May

May has the Soundex code M000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M000.

Other French surnames

All 791 French surnames

Questions

Where does the surname May come from?: From Middle English May, Mai, from Old French mai, from Latin Maius (“Maia's month”), from Maia, a Roman earth goddess.
How common is the surname May?: 103,306 people in the United States had the surname May in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,989 Americans. It ranked 304th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname May?: In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named May identified as white (not Hispanic), and 9.6% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named May?: Ralphie May, American stand-up comedian, followed by Rollo May.
Where is the surname May most common?: Wikidata records people named May in the United States, the United Kingdom and Austria and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce May?: May is /meɪ/, one syllable.
Is the surname May getting more or less common?: More common. 101,726 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 103,306 in 2010, up 1.6%.
What are other spellings of May?: Ma and Mae.
Is May also a first name?: Yes. May is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.