Fun Facts About the Name Mai
- More than 5 thousand babies named Mai: U.S. records list 5,697 babies given the name Mai from 1880 through 2025. Even 20 boys received the name Mai - about 1 boy for every 284 girls.
What Does the Name Mai Mean?
Mai has several unrelated origins, so it does not have one single meaning. In Japanese it is written with a kanji read mai; the most familiar is 舞, "dance." Other spellings give other literal senses - 麻衣 combines 麻, "hemp," with 衣, "garment," and 真衣 combines 真, "true," with 衣 - so in Japanese the sense of the name comes from the characters chosen for the individual name, not from the sound alone.
Vietnamese Mai is a feminine name and also the word for the apricot blossom, written 梅, a character whose Sino-Vietnamese reading means plum or apricot. The yellow apricot (hoa mai) that flowers at Tết, the lunar new year, gives the name its seasonal association; that association is symbolic, while the literal sense of the word is the blossom itself.
Mai is also the Welsh name of the month of May, from Latin Maius, the month traditionally linked to the Roman goddess Maia, whose name is of uncertain origin. Welsh Mai is used as a given name, and the same month word lies behind the Estonian name Mai and the Scandinavian Maj or Mai. Irish Mai is a separate case: it serves as a short form of Máire, the Irish form of Mary.
In modern Hebrew, Mai (מי) is a girl's name taken from the word for water. It belongs to the modern period of Hebrew name-giving rather than to the biblical tradition.
Mai Name History & Origins
Japanese names are written with kanji that parents choose, so the sound Mai covers a range of names with different characters. 舞, "dance," and 麻衣, "hemp garment," are two of the commoner ones; 舞 also appears in ordinary words for dancing and for stage performance. Because the writing is not fixed, Japanese Mai has no single line of descent in the way a name borrowed whole from another language does.
In Vietnam, Mai has a long record as a woman's name. The same word names the yellow apricot, called hoa mai, whose blossoms are the traditional decoration of Tết in southern Vietnam, and this is why the name is so often explained by way of the new-year flower. The character 梅 behind the Vietnamese word is read méi in Mandarin and is usually romanized there as Mei rather than Mai, so the Chinese and Vietnamese forms share a character but not a pronunciation.
Welsh Mai is the month name and nothing more; it is one of the Welsh month names taken from Latin, and its use as a personal name follows the same pattern as English May. Estonian mai, also from Latin, is both the fifth month and a common given name, and Swedish Maj and Danish and Norwegian Mai are that same month word used as a name. Irish Mai, by contrast, is a pet form of Máire (Mary), a name of Hebrew origin that reached Ireland with Christianity.
Mai as a Hebrew name (מי, "water") comes from the modern revival of Hebrew as a spoken language, when names were drawn from the Bible and from everyday vocabulary words. It is a recent name rather than an inherited one.
How Popular is the Name Mai?
Mai recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1990. Its best rank was #792 in 1881.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,016 | 55 | 0.0034% |
| 2024 | #3,245 | 49 | 0.0030% |
| 2023 | #3,207 | 51 | 0.0032% |
| 2022 | #3,014 | 55 | 0.0034% |
| 2021 | #2,908 | 58 | 0.0035% |
| 2020 | #3,255 | 48 | 0.0030% |
| 2019 | #3,202 | 50 | 0.0030% |
| 2018 | #3,086 | 53 | 0.0031% |
| 2017 | #4,275 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 2016 | #3,310 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 2015 | #3,459 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 2014 | #3,066 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 2013 | #3,031 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 2012 | #3,070 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 2011 | #2,856 | 61 | 0.0035% |
| 2010 | #2,962 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 2009 | #2,500 | 76 | 0.0041% |
| 2008 | #2,434 | 79 | 0.0042% |
| 2007 | #2,669 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 2006 | #2,472 | 75 | 0.0039% |
| 2005 | #2,193 | 84 | 0.0045% |
| 2004 | #2,335 | 74 | 0.0040% |
| 2003 | #2,159 | 81 | 0.0044% |
| 2002 | #2,517 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 2001 | #2,207 | 74 | 0.0041% |
| 2000 | #2,228 | 71 | 0.0039% |
| 1999 | #1,886 | 84 | 0.0047% |
| 1998 | #1,770 | 89 | 0.0050% |
| 1997 | #1,665 | 95 | 0.0055% |
| 1996 | #1,309 | 132 | 0.0075% |
| 1995 | #1,085 | 165 | 0.0094% |
| 1994 | #903 | 213 | 0.0119% |
| 1993 | #935 | 202 | 0.0112% |
| 1992 | #959 | 201 | 0.0109% |
| 1991 | #891 | 221 | 0.0118% |
| 1990 | #794 | 254 | 0.0134% |
| 1989 | #798 | 239 | 0.0130% |
| 1988 | #921 | 184 | 0.0103% |
| 1987 | #1,012 | 154 | 0.0089% |
| 1986 | #954 | 166 | 0.0097% |
| 1985 | #917 | 173 | 0.0101% |
| 1984 | #856 | 179 | 0.0106% |
| 1983 | #986 | 148 | 0.0089% |
| 1982 | #1,073 | 134 | 0.0079% |
| 1981 | #1,040 | 138 | 0.0083% |
| 1980 | #1,630 | 71 | 0.0043% |
| 1979 | #2,072 | 49 | 0.0031% |
| 1978 | #2,723 | 31 | 0.0020% |
| 1977 | #3,230 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1976 | #2,519 | 32 | 0.0022% |
| 1975 | #3,015 | 24 | 0.0016% |
| 1974 | #3,642 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1973 | #4,270 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1972 | #3,130 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1971 | #3,222 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1970 | #3,520 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1969 | #3,549 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1968 | #5,000 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #3,157 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1966 | #4,721 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #4,102 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1964 | #4,836 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #4,432 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #4,737 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #4,149 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #6,112 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #5,973 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #4,086 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1957 | #5,183 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #3,608 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1955 | #3,703 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1954 | #4,967 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1953 | #4,113 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1952 | #4,760 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1950 | #4,182 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1949 | #5,721 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #4,458 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #5,076 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #5,405 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #3,274 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1942 | #4,429 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,815 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1939 | #3,307 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1938 | #3,093 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1937 | #2,518 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1936 | #3,587 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1935 | #2,386 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1933 | #3,028 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1932 | #3,461 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #2,376 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1930 | #2,259 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1929 | #2,068 | 17 | 0.0015% |
| 1928 | #2,463 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1927 | #3,753 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1926 | #2,655 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1925 | #2,564 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1924 | #3,279 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1923 | #2,845 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1922 | #3,284 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1921 | #2,450 | 15 | 0.0012% |
| 1920 | #2,425 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1919 | #2,923 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1918 | #3,717 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1917 | #2,997 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1916 | #2,950 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1915 | #2,483 | 12 | 0.0012% |
| 1914 | #2,080 | 12 | 0.0016% |
| 1913 | #2,702 | 7 | 0.0011% |
| 1912 | #2,533 | 7 | 0.0013% |
| 1911 | #2,366 | 6 | 0.0014% |
| 1909 | #1,697 | 8 | 0.0023% |
| 1907 | #1,256 | 11 | 0.0035% |
| 1905 | #2,122 | 5 | 0.0017% |
| 1902 | #1,945 | 5 | 0.0019% |
| 1898 | #1,335 | 8 | 0.0031% |
| 1896 | #1,513 | 6 | 0.0025% |
| 1895 | #1,524 | 6 | 0.0026% |
| 1891 | #1,449 | 5 | 0.0027% |
| 1890 | #1,451 | 5 | 0.0026% |
| 1881 | #792 | 6 | 0.0065% |
| 1880 | #804 | 6 | 0.0066% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #7,553 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #4,552 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #6,948 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Mai Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Mai's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Mai's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.