The baby name Mae packs serious style into a mere three letters.
Thanks to RockingFetal for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME MAE MEAN?
For a name that’s all about simplicity, Mae’s meaning is elusive.
Let’s start with the month: May comes from the Latin Majus, a reference to the earth goddess Maia.
A second figure in Greek mythology bears the name: one of the Pleiades is also Maia. They’re also known as the Seven Sisters, and many cultures have a story about them. In Ancient Greece, they were often hunting companions to the goddess Artemis.
Majus became mai in French.
It would eventually filter into English as May – the fifth month of our calendar year.
Worth noting: England didn’t adopt these month names until the early medieval era, and even then, calendars were a little different. More on that in a minute.
If you hear the baby name Mae, and find yourself whistling “Strolling Through the Park One Day,” well … the 1884 song is a long-standing classic.
MARY and MARGARET
As a given name, though, Mae owes less to the month, and more to classic girl names.
It’s easy to imagine Mabel shortening to Mae.
Mostly the baby name Mae comes from Mary and Margaret. The sound isn’t quite there in most American English pronunciations. It’s a little more obvious in some British English accents.
Still, dropping the R sound to shorten a name is nothing new. After all, Molly comes from Mary and Maggie from Margaret.
In Dutch, Mary became Maeyken and Maikin, in various spellings.
It’s tough to pinpoint an exact moment when Mae developed as a short form of either name. Popular belief might explain some of the connection. The month of May is dedicated to Mary in the Catholic Church, reinforcing the connection between the two.
Both Mary and Margaret were very common given names, so it tracks that lots of short forms and diminutives would develop.
FAMOUS MAES
Think of a famous Mae, and there’s at least a chance she was born Mary.
Princess Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes of Teck would marry the future King George V of England in 1893. Her granddaughter is Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria Mary was called May as a child, and the nickname stuck.
Born Mary Jane, Mae West invited newcomer Cary Grant to “come up and see me sometime” in the 1933 movie She Done Him Wrong. The film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and made a mint at the box office. Mae West became a mega-star.
A few more, both fictional and real:
- 1930s star Mae Clarke was born Violet Mary Klotz.
- But Mae Questel, who voiced animated characters like Betty Boop and Olive Oyl, was born Mae Kwestel in 1908.
- Anna May, Anna Mae, and Annamae is a common double name. The first Chinese American movie star, Anna May Wong, is a famous figure.
- Edith Wharton’s 1920 novel The Age of Innocence introduced the tortured Newland Archer and his sweet society bride, May Welland.
- Madonna played tough-as-nails Mae Mordabito in 1992’s A League of Their Own.
- The sweet little girl in The Help is called Mae Mobley Leefolt.
- There’s Peter Parker’s Aunt May, who has gotten younger and cooler with Marisa Tomei in the role.
- There’s also Rod Stewart’s enduring song “Maggie May.”
- Anjelica Huston’s character in 1985 movie Prizzi’s Honor, Maerose, earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
- Mae Jemison served as an astronaut for NASA, becoming the first African-American woman to travel into space in 1992.
You might also think of legendary author Louisa May Alcott. That middle comes from her mother, born Abby May. Louisa’s youngest sister was called May. She’s the basis for Little Women character Amy, an anagram of the family name.
As a surname, there are even more potential origins and meanings.
MAY AS A SURNAME
Traditional Matthew is sometimes Mayhew, and occasionally shortened to May, so the surname May is sometimes a nod to that name. In other cases, it might be related to Marius or an old Gaelic name.
In French, May can also come from place names, like Le May.
Someone born or baptized during the month of May might end up with the surname.
Other explanations take this mini name all around the world.
MAI and MEI
Depending on the kanji used to write the name, Mei can mean beautiful. It might refer to a Chinese plum, or mean bright.
2022 Pixar movie Turning Red gave us main character Mei, short for Meilin.
Travel around the globe, and multiple spellings are in use.
Mei ranks in Japan’s current Top Ten.
Spelling Maj is also seen, particularly in Scandinavia.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME MAE?
Only one spelling of the baby name Mae ranks in the current US Top 1000. Mae comes in at #501 as of 2025. That works out to 594 girls given the name.
Way back in the year 1900, Mae ranked #54.
At the turn of the 20th century, May also appeared in the Top 100. As of 2025, just 183 girls were named May.
During the 1990s, Mai even spent a few years in the Top 1000. Just 55 girls were named Mai in 2025.
While Mei has never cracked the US Top 1000, 117 girls were named Mei in 2025.
This might not sound terribly popular, but the Mae sound? It’s everywhere. Irish import Maeve is at an all-time high. Retro Maisie is enjoying a style renewal, as in Mabel.
Mae might be best-known as a potential mini middle name circa 2026, along with go-tos like Grace and Rose.
UPBEAT AND ECOVINTAGE
The baby name Mae might be that perfectly understated choice. It’s a vintage charmer with a nod to springtime and all the positive energy of the season. But it’s also a traditional choice less expected than Elizabeth or even Alice.
If you’re torn between Claire and Skye, Mae serves as a midpoint.
Bright but restrained, forward-looking, but also rooted in the past.
The baby name is brief, but optimistic. Sweet and spirited. In just three-letters, it travels across time and all around the world, too.
What do you think of the baby name Mae?
Originally published on March 15, 2010, this post was revised substantially and re-posted on May 6, 2013; August 3, 2019; April 20, 2021; and June 30, 2026.
Or Maeve