v11mex by Too Far North via Flickr

Here’s the second from Kristen of Marginamia – the story of finding a name for Nona Plum’s little sister!

What is your child’s name?
Valo June Reverie (Sounds like the Val in Valentine, with an ‘o’ on the end.  We pronounce Reverie with only two syllables, rev REE.) We call her lots of things, mostly Valo June, but also Lo, and Vally Rev.

When did you choose?
We chose one week after the birth of the baby, and this time felt rushed.  It wasn’t as clear as (big sister) Nona’s name.  We went back and forth several times.  When we took her to the doctor for a check-up, I instinctively called “Valo, wake up!”  I think I knew then that this was her name.  My husband voted for it later the same day.

Once we’d finally decided on the first name, we had a tough time picking the middle: June or Reverie? We chose both, and I’m so glad we did.  We use all three of her names at different times.  So I say don’t be afraid to include those extra middle names!

What were your criteria?
We didn’t want anything that starts with N or ends in -uh or -ah, since her big sister is Nona.  We pretty much knew we wanted the name to end with -o.

I wanted her name to have some association with a number, like Nona’s, but I gave that up pretty early on.  I found out after naming her that Valo translates to the number 8 in Malagasy.  This is only made cooler by the fact that her sister’s name number is 9.  Oh, the nerdiness!

As with Nona’s name, we didn’t want anything totally made up, anything ending with en, in, or yn, and wanted a nature name, without it being too obvious. I do love botanical names (Azalea and Verbena are my current favorites) but we ended up with a less obvious nature name – unless you’re in Finland, then it’s pretty obvious for sure!

Who was involved in the decision?
Again, just my husband and me, though I did end up consulting some friends and my mother for their votes on our final three names. Valo June Reverie was the least popular amongst everyone, but it ended up winning our vote!

What were the other options?
Umi Luelle – Umi has various meanings but our most personal association is the one it shares with the ocean.  I just love the sound of Luelle.

Juniper Delphine – We love the sound of Juniper. Like June, it has that summery, syrupy feel.  Delphine’s rather mystical associations still fill me with glee, and we may revisit that name for a future child.

Verbena June/Verbena Louelle – My husband’s least favorite, and it ends with same sound as Nona, but I continue to love this name.

Meno Reverie – After Plato’s Meno. We didn’t want to name her after the character, Meno, but the book itself.  My husband and I met studying philosophy and share a love of Plato, and particularly the idea of knowledge being a sort of remembering, as is examined in the book.  And the name ends in -o … but  she just wasn’t a Meno.

Did the meaning matter?
Oh heck yes! Even more this time, I think. So, first things first, she was born with a giant stork mark directly in the center of her forehead, dark and giant. It was in the perfect shape of a V!  I have to say that this really influenced me, silly as it may seem.

Valo is Finnish for sunlight. Neither of us have any Finnish lineage, but I do have a strange love of many things Finnish, and find that little Finnish associations keep appearing in our lives all over the place.  The sunlight association is huge for me.  I awoke on a Friday morning in June to contractions five minutes apart, and they seemed to intensify with the rising sun.  Three hours later I gave birth to Valo in my bedroom. I just focused on the sunlight pouring into the room, right onto my face at times, and on a tree outside my window, shedding it’s white blooms in the wind – it was a crepe myrtle, which holds no name possibilities for me.

The sunlight seemed to bring her, and she was born right around the summer solstice, alongside the longest, most sunlit days of the year.

Aside from the name’s meaning, and aside from it’s starting with the same letter she had naturally tattooed on her forehead (which is almost completely faded now), it ends in ‘o’ and has those rolling ‘l’ sounds we love so much–check and check!  I found the name only about a week before she was born, so we didn’t have a lot of time to let it sit with us; I think this is why it took us a while to know.

We both love the name June. I actually didn’t want to use it at first because she *was* born in the month of June. Thankfully I decided not to let that keep us from using it.  We almost went with Jane, instead, a name I continue to completely adore, but we both liked the “oo” sound with Valo over the “ay” sound.

Reverie is a favorite word of ours. We both love the sound and meaning of it. It means ‘daydream.’  It also seemed to fit her. I spent a great portion of the pregnancy in a very dreamy state, as do a lot of pregnant women, I think. We had a lot of upheaval going on, and I coped by just zoning out and dreaming, likely even when I shouldn’t have, but it seemed to be something over which I had very little control. I associated the strength of that impulse with the particular little child in my womb!

I also dreamed about how she would enter the world. I wanted her to be born on a Friday morning because it’s my favorite day of the week, and (more importantly) we get a longer paternity leave for my husband with it starting on a weekend! I wanted to awake after a *full* night’s rest to an active labor and to have a very short labor. I wanted her to be born in our home. All of this dreaming and meditating was completely matched in reality when the time came, so again, I just felt like her little spirit shared this element of the pregnancy, like she was linked to all the dreaming.  My wish for her as I pondered her coming in the last few days of the pregnancy, and then as I stared down at her in those first few days after her birth was that she hold on to the dreaminess!  And boy, does this fit her!  The word also has musical associations. I also really love the simple French word for dream, Reve, as a first name, but my husband wasn’t into it. We use it, though; I call her Vally Reve quite a lot!

Did you second guess yourself?
Yes, I did. I even went through a week where I tried just calling her June, but then my husband said her name very casually and it struck me as being very musically beautiful.  I think I’d been sort of freaked out by not really having encountered it anywhere before, not even in a person online or anything; it felt sort of *too* alone, even though I knew it wasn’t a name we’d just made up.  Now each time I hear it, it brings me the joy of hearing something beautiful and perfectly meaningful for this little girl, so I know it’s a perfect fit for her!  I think a lot of my indecisiveness comes from being truly in love with so many names.

Hmmm,  I guess there might be a need for more sweet little babies to gift with some of those names!

Welcome Juno Kate!

Thanks to Kate of My Kids Eat Off the Floor for sharing the joyful sequel to her previous Reader Baby Name Story: A Pair of Meaningful Choices.

I’ve already gotten a lot of “Juno like the movie?” comments.  For the record:  Yes, I liked the movie.  No, she is not named after the movie or the character!

Kate, thank you so much for sharing the story of Juno!  She is absolutely darling.  And I’m glad that you got your pick this time. 

Augusta, Princess of Wales; Image via Wikipedia

Is this regal appellation due for a revival?

Thanks to Annabel for suggesting Augusta as Baby Name of the Day.

Augusta started out as an honorific, the feminine equivalent of the Roman Augustus.  Octavian, grand-nephew to Julius Caesar, was the first to receive the title; but it wasn’t quite like king or emperor.  Augustus merely cemented his position as the top dog of his day.

The titles trickled into use as a given name among the nobility.  In the 400s, a well-born Italian woman converted to Christianity.  Legend has it that her father flew into a rage and killed her.  She’s remembered as St. Augusta of Treviso.

More modern times:

• Eighteenth century Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became Princess of Wales.  Her husband, Frederick, died before taking the throne and their son became George III;
• The same couple also passed the name on to their daughter, Princess Augusta Frederica.  Her daughter, Caroline, would marry the future George IV;
• George III passed the name on to daughter Princess Augusta Sophia;
• George III also had a son called Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.  He married Augusta of Hesse-Kassel.  They named their second daughter Augusta.  Their third daughter, Mary Adelaide, was the grandmother to Mary of Teck, wife of George V.

If that’s not enough Augustas – and Georges – the first and last German Empresses wore the name, too.

Most American parents probably think not of castles and tiaras, but of golf courses.  Augusta, Georgia is home to prestigious golf tournament The Masters.  The city is named for the first princess on the list.  (She’s also in the portrait above.)

You can find Augusta in many other places, too.  The most intriguing might be Zaragoza – evolved from a settlement called Caesaraugusta, established by the emperor who first bore the title.

Parents have yet to rediscover Augusta.  Despite hovering just outside of the US Top 100 in the 1880s, Augusta has not ranked in the Top 1000 since 1944.  But August – a solid Top 100 pick for nineteenth century boys – is experiencing a revival, climbing from #608 in 2007 to #433 in 2009.  Could his sister be so far behind?

Or could his sister be, well, August?  Garth Brooks named his second daughter August Anna.  And 2002 novel turned 2008 movie The Secret Life of Bees featured sisters called May, June, and August.

Then again, not long ago, Eleanor and Beatrice were considered hopelessly stodgy, so let’s not count Augusta out.  Nickname Aggie would fit right in, and it is just a short trip from Savannah to this equally charming Southern city.  If you’re looking for an overlooked name with history aplenty, Augusta is one to consider.

Here’s a recent one – an A-to-Z list of Single Syllable Names for Girls.  I stalled out on a few letters.  Any ideas?

A is for Ann.

B is for Blythe.

C is for Claire.

D is for Dee.

E is for Elle.

F is for Fern.

G is for Greer.

H is for Hope.

I is for …

J is for June.

K is for Kate.

L is for Liv.

M is for Mae.

N is for Nell.

O is for …

P is for Paige.

Q is for Quinn.

R is for Ruth.

S is for Sloane.

T is for True.

U is for …

V is for Vrai.

W is for Wren.

X is for Xan.

Y is for …

Z is for Zelle.

Okay, some of those are a stretch, especially Xan and Zelle.  But I do love the spare simplicity of these names.  On a playground packed with girls called Olivia and Isabella, June or Sloane really stands out.

What do you think of single-syllable names for girls?  Got anything for I, O,  and Y?  And what would make your list?

When I posted Jodi’s stories about naming big sisters Pippa and Romilly, I intentionally didn’t divulge the names of her two other darling daughters.  Readers, the suspense is over!  The most charming quartet of girls answers to Pippa, Romilly, Beatrix and Juniper!  Read on for more, including their lovely middles.

III.  Beatrix’s story

IV.  Juniper’s Story

Jodi, thank you SO much for sharing the names of your wonderfully named, lovely girls!  What I love about your stories – besides the name you chose! – is that each experience was SO different.  Sometimes you just know … sometimes you’re holding your newborn in your arms cooing “What’s your name, honey?  Come on … tell me, please!”  Amazing names, fabulous stories!

• Is the speed of change in baby name trends accelerating?  Elisabeth mentioned the possibility in her post about the Top 100 baby names of 2009 over at You Can’t Call It “It.“  We’ve certainly seen the pace pick up over the generations, but I was whopperjawed at the rise and fall of Miley.
• Is it right to correct a name’s meaning when a parent’s assertion is just plain inaccurate?  Nancy asked the question specifically about reporters, but it comes up in discussion, too – online and off.

And, of course, Time Magazine pondered Why Do Babies Have the Same Names? They called it “The Twilight Effect.”  Is it me, or did they completely miss an important point?  Sure, lots of us are naming our kids Jacob and Isabella and Emma and Ethan.  But, generation after generation, we’ve become more tolerant of diversity in baby names.  Maybe my perspective is skewed by living in a big urban area with a huge international population, but I’m most impressed by how few kids continue to receive the most common names.

In good ol’ fashioned name-spotting this week:

• Design Mom blogger Gabrielle Blair and husband Ben welcomed daughter Flora June, a little sister for Ralph, Maude, Olive, Oscar and Betty.  They’re calling her June.  Congratulations;
• Speaking of June, she’s on the Quirky Classics for Girls list at Nameberry’s Baby Names 2010: What Names are Heading This Way? In the harder to classify category are the testosterone-charged Gunner and Ace.  All this means that circa 2040, we should be seeing marriage announcements for mismatched couples like Annabelle and Colt;
• For Real brings us reports of London newborns called Myrtle, Ludovic and Albus, as well as a girl called Betzabet in Maine and another named Manhattan Rose, presumably not in New York;
• Nancy crunched the data to bring us Which Baby Name Ranked #1 in the Most States? The handful of names that the top spot in just one state are an interesting mix: Addison, Aiden, Allison, Daniel, Jose, Ryan and Wyatt;
• More data-crunching: Baby Name Wizard announced that Kaydence was the fastest rising name of the decade. The name Cadence was worn by American Pie’s band camp alum Michelle’s little sis in 2003′s American Wedding, but she was on the rise before.  Caydence is just a step behind the K-spelling;
• You give your child a nice, normal name like Richard and what happens?  Language Log tells us that Richard Smith of Carlisle, England, legally changed his name to Stormhammer Deathclaw Firebrand.  And I thought For Real spotted some truly eye-popping appellations;
• I love Julie’s description of her kids: “My children are wonderful, hilarious, terrifying little creatures. It is still mind-boggling that we have one kid, let alone three.”  Their names are nice, too: Henry, Eli and Zuzu;
• Nancy brings us a story about baby Karina, born to the wife of a Soviet scientist aboard a ship in the Kara Sea in 1933.  And that’s only part of the story;
• Ellie Kate’s mom mentions Sylvie as a possible name for a future daughter.  Well, Sylvie and Phyer.  But Ellie’s dad veto’d Phyer, so that’s out.  I found her post via Kelly’s Korner, a blog that asked parents to share lists of their kids’ names or future names – there are over 400 links!

And Claudia Schiffer has a new daughter, but if Caspar and Clementine’s little sis has a name, they’ve yet to share.  The supermodel mentioned she was struggling with name choices, so it is possible they’re still debating.  My money is on Cordelia, but I bet she’ll surprise us all.

That’s all for today.  As always, thanks for reading and have a great week!

Thanks to Melissa for suggesting Grace as Baby Name of the Day.

What’s not to love about Grace?

She was a nineteenth century staple, ranking in the US Top 20 from 1880 until 1908.  This puts her in the company of other vintage picks like Emma and Ella, Clara and Alice.  But she shares her -ay sound with nouveau choices like Jayden and Kaylee.

That’s enough to make Grace a winning compromise choice, but then there’s her meaning.

Let’s start with Greek mythology.  A trio of goddesses responsible for beauty, joy and creativity were referred to the Charites.  They answered to Aglaea, Euphrosyne and Thalia.  Homer cast them as Aphrodite’s BFFs.  Other traditions gave them significant roles in the underworld.  The Romans called them the Gratiae, from the Latin gratia – grace.  Botticelli and Raphael were among the many to paint the three.

Grace has encompassed many a virtue since ancient days, and multiple meanings have evolved since:

• The conventional Christian view ranges from the straightforward grace as a synonym for a simple prayer, usually offered at the dinner table, to a weighty theological matter;
• Perhaps the best known hymn of all time, “Amazing Grace” was written in the eighteenth century;
• We’ve been describing ballerinas – and types of geckos and rats – as graceful in movement since the 1400s;
• You can grace someone with your presence;
• The musical term grace note means an embellishment;
• And, of course, any number of phrases with appealing meanings are attached – from scapegrace to grace under fire,

She can appeal to a devout audience or a secular one.  Her sister is just as likely to be Eleanor or Nevaeh.

Parents who prefer single-syllable names might also like Grace’s flexibility.  She’s as spare as Jane, Brooke, Bryn or June.  But adding an -ie results in the girlie Gracie, a pleasing short form.

And we can’t forget Grace Kelly, a silver screen queen who became real-life royalty in 1956 when she married Monaco’s Prince Rainier III.  Kelly was no mere starlet when she retired from acting to reign in the tiny European nation.  She’d won a Best Actress Oscar in 1954′s The Country Girl.  Other notables include:

• Singer Grace Slick, of 1960s legendary rock group Jefferson Airplane;
• Model/actress/singer/Bond villain Grace Jones;
• Comedienne Gracie Allen, wife and performing partner of George Burns.

Comb through the history books and you’ll find many more.  I’m particularly fond of Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who helped her dad rescued thirteen people from a shipwreck in 1838 at considerable risk to her own life.

The 17th century Puritans get credit for first using Grace as a given name.  She’d fallen out of favor by the 1970s, but re-entered the US Top 100 in 1995 and stood at #17 in 2009 – a few places down from earlier in the decade.

Today parents might also put Gracie (#115 in 2009) on the birth certificate or even the compound Gracelyn (#572 in 2009).  The latter hews slightly close to Elvis’ Memphis estate, but also looks like a cousin for popular respellings à la Madalyn.

With all this going for Grace, why does she make the list of Most Regretted Baby Names?  It’s just a hunch, but I’d bet plenty of parents are disappointed to discover that many other parents have chosen the lovely, classic Grace, too.

If you don’t mind sharing, it’s hard to go wrong with Grace.

Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Hadassah as Baby Name of the Day.

The average American playground is spilling over with ancient Israelites and Old Testament figures.  But while Benjamin and Levi are taking turns on the slide, and Abigail is chasing Leah across the monkey bars, Hadassah is nowhere to be found.

On style alone, it is easy to imagine Hadassah fitting in, a frillier version of Hannah, or a sister for Susannah.  She’s even nickname rich.  With legions of girls called Maddie and Addie, why not a Haddie or two?  And don’t Dassa and Dasha seem nearly as appealing as Bella and Sasha?

Flip open your Old Testament, and you’ll find that Hadassah was the birth name of Queen Esther.  And Esther ranks right up there, near the very tippy top of the Biblical heroines list.

The tale goes like this.  Eons before the advent of The Marriage Ref, the King of Persia dismissed his wife in a huff.

Hadassah was an orphan, and a Jew, but she was also a looker.  She made the short list of possible replacements, and eventually won the crown.  Soon after, the new bride learned that one of the king’s men was planning a slaughter of the Jews – including her (Jewish) uncle, a man who had once quietly foiled an assassination plot against his royal highness.

Risking her own life, she appealed to her husband and saved the day.  She also secured more rights for Jews in Persia.  And her uncle?  He replaced the king’s chief adviser, the man orchestrating the slaughter.  Ever since, the Jews have celebrated the feast of Purim.

It’s a gripping tale, and it is easy to see why Esther has been a popular pick for girls over the ages.  The queen took the Persian name when she left for the palace.  It’s usually linked to the Persian sitarah – star.  Others speculate Esther refers to the goddess Ishtar, a word for compassion or some a lost term for myrtle, making it a translation of Hadassah.

In any case, Esther is climbing in recent years, reaching #274 in the 2008 US rankings.  From 1882 through 1935, Esther was a Top 100 pick, and with her frills-free, vintage vibe, she could be headed back in that direction.

None of it explains why Hadassah has been neglected.  Unlike the controversial Cohen, there’s no practical reason for non-Jews to avoid the name.

Of course, only high-profile American that comes to mind is the wife of Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman; no soap opera figures or starbabies -  yet.

There is, however, a charitable womens’ organization named in honor of the heroic Hadassah.  With more than a quarter of a million members, Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is about to celebrate its centennial.  Early initiatives included funding hospitals in what was then Palestine.  They’ve also taken on educational and environmental initiatives, as well as advocating for American support of Israel and many other causes.

Check out the organization’s list of presidents – not a Hadassah among them!  Instead, there’s Bernice and June, Carmela and Bonnie, Lola, Frieda and many a Rose, plus current prez Nancy.

Could a well-regarded charitable organization be enough to convince parents to avoid the name?  In an era when we call our kids Chanel and Armani, it seems unlikely.  But Hadassah remains unusable for many parents outside of observant Jewish circles, even as once obscure choices like Asher go mainstream.

In honor of her March 22, here’s a look at Names Worn By Reese Witherspoon.

Reese’s breakout role was 1991′s The Man in the Moon, but her character’s name – Dani – wasn’t boosted by her success.  Danielle was an established Top 20 pick in the US for several years before.  Other names were more interesting:

• In 1993, she wore the name Nonnie in A Far Off Place, and appeared as a female Ferris in the tv miniseries Return to Lonesome Dove;
• She wore Wendy, Nicole and Vanessa in a series of not-much-remembered films before playing Ivy in Overnight Delivery – another not-much-remembered film.  I’d like to give her credit for Ivy’s revival but her roadtripping stripper-a-heart-of-gold probably didn’t influence many parents.  Still, Ivy is on the rise, reaching #298 in 2008;
• Reese was a blast as Jennifer and her black-and-white alter ego, Mary Sue, in 1998′s Pleasantville;
• Then came 1999′s controversial Dangerous Liaisons goes to high school, Cruel Intentions.  Her character’s name – Annette – languished, but the movie helped push Sebastian into the Top 100 in 2000;
• In 2001, she invented fashionista-cum-legal-eagle Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.  Reese’s influence is undeniable here.  From unranked in 2001, Elle appeared in the US Top 1000 at #613 in 2002.  She charted at #494 in 2008;
• A few more roles followed, including Vanity Fair’s Becky Sharp and The Importance of Being Earnest’s Cicely Cardew, but her next influential name was in 2005, when she nabbed the Best Actress Oscar as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line.  After many years’ hibernation, June re-entered the US Top 1000 at #863 in 2008;
• Since adding an Oscar to her resume, Reese has worn Isabella, Annie and Kate - all solidly established names.

Among other projects, Reese is said to be working on an upcoming movie adaptation of New York Times bestseller Water for Elephants.  She’ll play ill-fated circus performer Marlena.

In this case, the actress’ biggest naming influence probably comes from her personal life.  Born Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon, she dropped her first name in favor of her second middle – mom Betty’s maiden name.  As her star has climbed, so has the use of Reese for girls.  The name debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2000 at #886, and today charts at #154.  That’s not quite Madison or Taylor, but it is undeniably a popular gender-bending pick.

Her own kids’ names have been influential, too.  While Deacon is still relatively rare, at #642 in 2008, the name didn’t chart in the US at all until her son’s 2003 birth.

Then there’s Ava.

Make no mistake – Ava was in use before 1999.  She was steadily climbing the charts, helped along by Aidan Quinn, Heather Locklear and more parents who discovered her many charms.  In fact, Heather Locklear probably deserves much of the credit – her daughter with Richie Sambora was born in 1997.  Ava leapt from #618 to #350 in one year.  But Reese cemented Ava’s Top Ten destiny, as the name rose from #259 to #180, entered the Top 100 two years later and the Top Ten by the time the original Avas were in elementary school.

Even without her daughter’s name considered, Reese Witherspoon might just be the most influential actor I’ve profiled so far – she knocks the socks off Christina Ricci and might even outdo Anne Hathway’s naming influence.

Thanks to RockingFetal for suggesting Mae as Name of the Day.

Every generation has its favorite mini names, from the antique Ida to 70s sensation Amy to the oh-so-current Ava.

Mae isn’t just a name, she’s a time of the year.  If you’re hearing lyrics about “strolling through the park in the merry, merry month of” surely you’re not alone.  May and Mae were nearly tied for popularity in the late nineteenth century, but today, May feels slightly more like a month and Mae just a smidge more like a given name.

Of course, April, June and even January are bestowed as given names, so the calendar reference is not outlandish.  In the US, May marks the start of Summer – also a popular choice for girls.

Many a famous Mae started out as Mary, including a Hollywood star and an English queen.

Mae West, she of the “come up and see me sometime” come-on, was born Mary.  She didn’t become a movie star until she was in her late 30s.  In 1933, she and Cary Grant co-starred in She Done Him Wrong, an Oscar-nominated flick that put the ailing Paramount Pictures back in the black.  West became a megastar and a wealthy woman by 1935.  Censorship hurt her career, but her image lingers.  Mae is sweet, but the daring Ms. West keeps her from being too precious.

The most recent Queen Mary of England – grandmother to the current queen, Elizabeth II, was born Princes Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes of Teck.  Her family called her May, a nod to both her second of eight (!) names and the month of her birth.  May married the soon-to-be King George V of England in 1893.

And if the Hollywood star and English queen weren’t enough, there’s a goddess, too.

Most agree that the month of May honors Roman earth goddess Maia or Maja, currently a Top 100 pick in the US as Maya and not too far from fellow mini name Mia.  The English word May evolved via the French mai, from the Latin maius.

In Greek myth, Maia was the eldest of seven sisters, known as the Pleiades, the daughters of Atlas and Pleione.  Today they’re a constellation.  Maia is also mom to messenger god Hermes and probably traces her roots to an even older goddess of spring and all things bountiful.

Mae can be as gentle as Grace or Hope. It’s an image reinforced by Newland Archer’s sweet society bride May Welland in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence and Peter Parker’s (usually) fragile Aunt May in the Spider-man comics.  There’s also a link to the Virgin Mary in Catholicism – the month May is dedicated to Mary.

But there’s also Madonna’s Mae, a tough-as-nails New Yorker in 1992′s A League of Their Own. and Anjelica Huston’s Oscar-winning turn as Maerose Prizzi in 1985′s Prizzi’s Honor.

Other uses of Mae include:

• A botancial link, from a type of hawthorn called May;
• A place name, as in Victorian seaside resort Cape May, New Jersey;
• A middle name, as in the musical Maggie May and an alternative to Rae and Marie;
• A surname, as in Louisa May Alcott’s mom Abby May.

Comedian Ralphie May named his daughter June April, a sister for August.  Don’t go there.

But overall, Mae makes for quite the stylish – and restrained – choice.  Since neither version is the current US Top 1000, she’d make for a seldom-shared name that is perfectly familiar.