May
#1,229 for girls in 2025, 183 births · Last seen for boys in 1996 at #7,971
Given to girls 98.6% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 1883 · 532 births
- Debut · girls
- 462 births
- In top 100 · girls
- 22 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 49,400since 1880
May over time
Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #1,229 | 183 | — | |
| 2024 | #1,358 | 168 | — | |
| 2023 | #1,430 | 156 | — | |
| 2022 | #1,443 | 155 | — | |
| 2021 | #1,680 | 123 | — | |
| 2020 | #1,704 | 119 | — | |
| 2019 | #1,598 | 133 | — | |
| 2018 | #1,640 | 129 | — | |
| 2017 | #1,677 | 128 | — | |
| 2016 | #1,649 | 131 | — | |
| 2015 | #1,643 | 130 | — | |
| 2014 | #1,569 | 138 | — | |
| 2013 | #1,849 | 109 | — | |
| 2012 | #1,886 | 106 | — | |
| 2011 | #2,156 | 88 | — | |
| 2010 | #1,886 | 107 | — | |
| 2009 | #2,396 | 80 | — | |
| 2008 | #2,137 | 94 | — | |
| 2007 | #2,163 | 92 | — | |
| 2006 | #2,459 | 75 | — | |
| 2005 | #1,993 | 95 | — | |
| 2004 | #2,117 | 85 | — | |
| 2003 | #1,970 | 92 | — | |
| 2002 | #1,934 | 91 | — | |
| 2001 | #1,901 | 91 | — | |
| 2000 | #1,900 | 89 | — | |
| 1999 | #2,095 | 73 | — | |
| 1998 | #2,104 | 69 | — | |
| 1997 | #1,766 | 85 | — | |
| 1996 | #1,736 | 86 | #7,971 | 6 |
| 1995 | #1,746 | 83 | — | |
| 1994 | #1,594 | 95 | — | |
| 1993 | #1,830 | 79 | — | |
| 1992 | #1,894 | 74 | #6,670 | 7 |
| 1991 | #1,689 | 87 | #6,519 | 7 |
| 1990 | #1,733 | 84 | #5,382 | 9 |
| 1989 | #1,454 | 101 | #6,941 | 6 |
| 1988 | #1,533 | 87 | #4,162 | 11 |
| 1987 | #1,349 | 101 | #6,089 | 6 |
| 1986 | #1,210 | 115 | #4,853 | 8 |
| 1985 | #1,077 | 135 | — | |
| 1984 | #1,098 | 126 | #6,315 | 5 |
| 1983 | #1,067 | 130 | #4,141 | 9 |
| 1982 | #962 | 154 | #4,234 | 9 |
| 1981 | #1,004 | 145 | — | |
| 1980 | #1,087 | 129 | #6,250 | 5 |
| 1979 | #1,204 | 108 | — | |
| 1978 | #1,422 | 81 | — | |
| 1977 | #1,341 | 85 | — | |
| 1976 | #1,384 | 77 | — | |
| 1975 | #1,258 | 89 | — | |
| 1974 | #1,226 | 89 | — | |
| 1973 | #1,132 | 98 | — | |
| 1972 | #1,303 | 78 | — | |
| 1971 | #1,066 | 113 | — | |
| 1970 | #1,208 | 93 | — | |
| 1969 | #1,153 | 93 | — | |
| 1968 | #1,042 | 100 | — | |
| 1967 | #1,046 | 97 | — | |
| 1966 | #999 | 105 | — | |
| 1965 | #996 | 109 | #3,244 | 7 |
| 1964 | #1,009 | 113 | — | |
| 1963 | #1,022 | 109 | #4,048 | 5 |
| 1962 | #978 | 119 | #3,041 | 8 |
| 1961 | #957 | 127 | #2,900 | 9 |
| 1960 | #885 | 139 | #3,665 | 6 |
| 1959 | #866 | 141 | — | |
| 1958 | #850 | 144 | — | |
| 1957 | #841 | 146 | — | |
| 1956 | #757 | 165 | #2,969 | 8 |
| 1955 | #694 | 183 | #3,505 | 6 |
| 1954 | #676 | 190 | #3,176 | 7 |
| 1953 | #697 | 171 | — | |
| 1952 | #664 | 178 | — | |
| 1951 | #577 | 222 | — | |
| 1950 | #622 | 184 | #3,681 | 5 |
| 1949 | #579 | 205 | — | |
| 1948 | #557 | 221 | — | |
| 1947 | #557 | 233 | — | |
| 1946 | #572 | 195 | — | |
| 1945 | #514 | 203 | #3,338 | 5 |
| 1944 | #472 | 227 | #3,109 | 6 |
| 1943 | #503 | 219 | — | |
| 1942 | #433 | 280 | #2,523 | 9 |
| 1941 | #431 | 251 | #2,656 | 8 |
| 1940 | #407 | 285 | #2,671 | 8 |
| 1939 | #423 | 257 | #2,288 | 10 |
| 1938 | #403 | 274 | #3,534 | 5 |
| 1937 | #379 | 292 | #2,197 | 11 |
| 1936 | #355 | 318 | #1,872 | 14 |
| 1935 | #337 | 352 | #2,529 | 9 |
| 1934 | #324 | 371 | #1,860 | 15 |
| 1933 | #309 | 404 | #2,542 | 9 |
| 1932 | #301 | 440 | #2,465 | 10 |
| 1931 | #285 | 481 | #2,003 | 14 |
| 1930 | #270 | 554 | #1,964 | 15 |
| 1929 | #267 | 579 | #2,002 | 15 |
| 1928 | #236 | 705 | #2,387 | 12 |
| 1927 | #236 | 744 | #2,523 | 11 |
| 1926 | #232 | 767 | #2,302 | 13 |
| 1925 | #221 | 849 | #1,628 | 22 |
| 1924 | #221 | 868 | #2,043 | 16 |
| 1923 | #220 | 864 | #3,175 | 8 |
| 1922 | #224 | 855 | #2,347 | 13 |
| 1921 | #205 | 977 | #2,502 | 12 |
| 1920 | #204 | 956 | #1,885 | 18 |
| 1919 | #194 | 981 | #2,665 | 10 |
| 1918 | #200 | 961 | #1,648 | 21 |
| 1917 | #194 | 945 | #1,815 | 17 |
| 1916 | #190 | 938 | #1,849 | 16 |
| 1915 | #175 | 974 | #1,782 | 16 |
| 1914 | #175 | 769 | #1,687 | 14 |
| 1913 | #167 | 695 | #1,676 | 11 |
| 1912 | #153 | 698 | #2,544 | 5 |
| 1911 | #149 | 541 | #1,740 | 5 |
| 1910 | #138 | 594 | #1,421 | 6 |
| 1909 | #146 | 483 | #1,440 | 5 |
| 1908 | #134 | 515 | — | |
| 1907 | #120 | 544 | #999 | 8 |
| 1906 | #119 | 524 | — | |
| 1905 | #119 | 530 | #1,091 | 6 |
| 1904 | #109 | 555 | — | |
| 1903 | #107 | 541 | #910 | 7 |
| 1902 | #107 | 560 | #744 | 10 |
| 1901 | #95 | 550 | #943 | 6 |
| 1900 | #91 | 744 | #1,310 | 5 |
| 1899 | #95 | 571 | — | |
| 1898 | #86 | 696 | — | |
| 1897 | #91 | 595 | #787 | 8 |
| 1896 | #82 | 671 | — | |
| 1895 | #80 | 691 | — | |
| 1894 | #71 | 763 | #787 | 8 |
| 1893 | #73 | 693 | #907 | 6 |
| 1892 | #70 | 753 | #688 | 10 |
| 1891 | #68 | 696 | #963 | 5 |
| 1890 | #65 | 751 | #994 | 5 |
| 1889 | #64 | 723 | #673 | 9 |
| 1888 | #63 | 782 | #609 | 11 |
| 1887 | #61 | 648 | #921 | 5 |
| 1886 | #63 | 602 | #694 | 8 |
| 1885 | #60 | 607 | #936 | 5 |
| 1884 | #61 | 564 | — | |
| 1883 | #57 | 532 | #799 | 6 |
| 1882 | #59 | 510 | #691 | 8 |
| 1881 | #58 | 451 | — | |
| 1880 | #57 | 462 | — | |
In the first year the SSA published name data, May was already there! It came in at #57, and was given to 462 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1987–2009, when fewer than 110 girls a year got the name.
Where May is popular in 1926
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
- Hawaii#82 · 1 in 272
- Washington#136 · 1 in 734
- New Jersey#151 · 1 in 896
- California#160 · 1 in 753
- Colorado#160 · 1 in 754
Best ever in a state: #36 in Utah, 1912.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | #82 | 13 | 1 in 272 |
| Washington | #136 | 13 | 1 in 734 |
| New Jersey | #151 | 34 | 1 in 896 |
| California | #160 | 48 | 1 in 753 |
| Colorado | #160 | 11 | 1 in 754 |
| Oregon | #169 | 6 | 1 in 937 |
| Connecticut | #170 | 11 | 1 in 1,106 |
| New York | #171 | 91 | 1 in 1,083 |
| Arizona | #172 | 6 | 1 in 646 |
| Minnesota | #181 | 16 | 1 in 1,355 |
| Mississippi | #183 | 27 | 1 in 878 |
| Massachusetts | #188 | 22 | 1 in 1,577 |
| Utah | #193 | 5 | 1 in 965 |
| Maryland | #199 | 9 | 1 in 1,504 |
| Virginia | #205 | 19 | 1 in 1,371 |
| Alabama | #206 | 27 | 1 in 1,204 |
| South Carolina | #206 | 17 | 1 in 1,290 |
| Arkansas | #209 | 21 | 1 in 982 |
| Pennsylvania | #209 | 52 | 1 in 1,760 |
| Georgia | #224 | 22 | 1 in 1,442 |
| Louisiana | #239 | 20 | 1 in 1,191 |
| Ohio | #241 | 26 | 1 in 2,089 |
| Illinois | #243 | 29 | 1 in 2,053 |
| Missouri | #247 | 18 | 1 in 1,681 |
| Tennessee | #248 | 16 | 1 in 1,697 |
| North Carolina | #251 | 21 | 1 in 1,829 |
| Kentucky | #259 | 17 | 1 in 1,677 |
| Nebraska | #259 | 6 | 1 in 1,886 |
| Michigan | #260 | 18 | 1 in 2,275 |
| Oklahoma | #269 | 16 | 1 in 1,563 |
| West Virginia | #272 | 10 | 1 in 1,996 |
| Iowa | #301 | 7 | 1 in 2,839 |
| Wisconsin | #324 | 6 | 1 in 3,954 |
| Texas | #329 | 33 | 1 in 1,812 |
| Florida | #332 | 7 | 1 in 2,391 |
| Kansas | #334 | 5 | 1 in 3,059 |
| Indiana | #370 | 6 | 1 in 4,355 |
| Alaska | — | — | — |
| Delaware | — | — | — |
| District of Columbia | — | — | — |
| Idaho | — | — | — |
| Maine | — | — | — |
| Montana | — | — | — |
| Nevada | — | — | — |
| New Hampshire | — | — | — |
| New Mexico | — | — | — |
| North Dakota | — | — | — |
| Rhode Island | — | — | — |
| South Dakota | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about May
- 129 spots since 2024 (#1,358 → #1,229)
- 475 spots since 2020 (#1,704 → #1,229)
- 414 spots since 2015 (#1,643 → #1,229)
- Biggest jump: 45 spots in 1951 (#622 → #577)
- Biggest drop: 105 spots in 1983 (#962 → #1,067)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1883 at #57 (532 births)
- Births halved by 1939, 56 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 22 yrs · run 1880–1901
- Top 1,000: 86 yrs · run 1880–1962
- Highest: 1 in 197 girls born in 1880 were named May (0.51%)
- Latest: 1 in 8,783 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
- Its best rank, #57 in 1883, was only 1 in 211 (0.47%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
- 16.5% of all girls named May (8,164) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,881 | #57 (1883) | #60 |
| 1890s | 6,880 | #65 (1890) | #78 |
| 1900s | 5,546 | #91 (1900) | #115 |
| 1910s | 8,096 | #138 (1910) | #174 |
| 1920s | 8,164 | #204 (1920) | #227 |
| 1930s | 3,743 | #270 (1930) | #339 |
| 1940s | 2,319 | #407 (1940) | #503 |
| 1950s | 1,724 | #577 (1951) | #724 |
| 1960s | 1,111 | #885 (1960) | #1,009 |
| 1970s | 911 | #1,066 (1971) | #1,254 |
| 1980s | 1,223 | #962 (1982) | #1,184 |
| 1990s | 815 | #1,594 (1994) | #1,819 |
| 2000s | 884 | #1,900 (2000) | #2,097 |
| 2010s | 1,199 | #1,569 (2014) | #1,755 |
| 2020s | 904 | #1,229 (2025) | #1,474 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
May in 1926
Top girls' names in 1926
Top boys' names in 1926
More about 1926
girls
1,185,401 girls got a published name in 1926; 1 in 1,546 of them was named May, which outranked 95.9% of the 5,622 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
- ↑ 1,047Janell#1,795 → #748
- ↑ 389Madalyn#1,225 → #836
- ↑ 382Evangelina#1,324 → #942
- ↑ 379Carla#1,252 → #873
- ↑ 351Vilma#1,020 → #669
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,110,505 boys got a published name in 1926; 1 in 85,423 of them was named May, which outranked 52.4% of the 4,837 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.0% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
- #2,186Watt14
- #2,186Waylon14
- #2,186Wilmot14
- #2,302May13
- #2,302Alexis13
- #2,302Alston13
- #2,302Alto13
- #2,436Abbott12
- #2,436Albertus12
- #2,436Alven12
Tied with 133 names at #2,302; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
- ↓ 531Okey#984 → #1,515
- ↓ 459Florentino#973 → #1,432
- ↓ 407Rexford#924 → #1,331
- ↓ 380Marshal#973 → #1,353
- ↓ 378Coolidge#746 → #1,124
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.