Mae
Feminine · “A pet form of Mary or Margaret”
Mae is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 114,835 girls against 606 boys since 1880. See Mae as a boy name
Mae is a pet form of Mary and Margaret that stood on its own when American records began and has been coming back into favor. Two very different Maes made it famous: a comedian famous for a line she never quite said, and a doctor who flew on the space shuttle.
How old is the name Mae?
Mae was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Mae alive today was born around 1921, making them about 104 years old. About 28,000 people named Mae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Mae most popular?
Mae peaked in 1892, reaching #52 nationally. Today it ranks #500, 448 places below that high. See the whole 1892 chart.
Where it comes from
From Mary to Mae
The story of Mae
Mae West, the stage and film star of the 1930s, is remembered for 'Come up and see me sometime', but in She Done Him Wrong she actually said 'Why don't you come up sometime and see me?'; the tidier version came from audiences and impressionists. In 1992 Mae Jemison, a physician and engineer from Chicago, flew aboard the shuttle Endeavour and became the first Black woman in space. Mae has been given to girls throughout the American record; the spelling is recorded for a handful of boys, but it is a girl's name in every tradition behind it.
Meaning
A pet form of Mary or Margaret
Mae is a variant of May, used as a short form of Mary and Margaret.
How the name formed
- Mary
- May
- Mae
Related forms: May · Mary
Pronouncing Mae
MAY
One syllable.
Nicknames for Mae
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 19182,756 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #52reached in 1892
- Change vs 2022
- −3.3%594 in 2025, from 614
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Mae in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- May in English — spelling variant
- Mary in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Illinois.
Maes among us
people named Mae are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 2,706 born in 2025 was named Mae
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Mae sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Mae is headed
Mae should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Mae beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Mae in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Short, bright and instantly familiar.
- A long, unbroken American history.
- Works well as a first or middle name.
- People will ask whether it is short for Mary.
- It is sometimes spelled May, and forms may correct it.
- For a boy it would be very unusual.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Mae to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Mae
Feminine · #500 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Maes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 28,000 people named Mae are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Mae in 2025?
- Mae ranks #500 among US girl names in 2025, with 594 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Mae?
- About 1 in every 2,706 US girls born in 2025 was named Mae — 594 in all.
- Will my child share the name Mae with classmates?
- Mae will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Mae
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Bianca#500 · Edith#499 · Raelyn#502 · Lakelynn#498 · Nylah#503 · Emely#503 · Charli#496 · Maxine#496
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Mae? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Mae and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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