Mei
Feminine · “beautiful”
Mei is beautiful in Chinese — one of the most-used characters in girls' naming — and it is also plum blossom, and the first character of the Chinese name for America.
How old is the name Mei?
Mei first appears in US birth records in 1947 — 78 years ago. The typical Mei alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 1,800 people named Mei are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Mei most popular?
Mei peaked in 2025, reaching #1733 nationally. Today it ranks #1733, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Mei appears on these lists:
Where it comes from
From 美 to Mei
The story of Mei
The character 美 is among the commonest in Chinese girls' names and appears in Meiguo, the Chinese name for the United States, which means beautiful country. Mei is used across China, Taiwan and the diaspora, and separately in Japan. It appears in the American registers rising through the 2010s and is in current use.
Meaning
beautiful; plum blossom
From the Chinese mei, 美, 'beautiful' — a character showing a large sheep, which in early China meant something splendid. A different mei, 梅, means plum blossom. The Japanese Mei is written with other characters again. All are genuine and the readings are documented.
How the name formed
- 美
- Mei
Related forms: 美 · 芽依 · May
Pronouncing Mei
MAY
One syllable. Chinese carries a tone English does not; Japanese Mei is closer to two light syllables.
Nicknames for Mei
Moderate
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
- 1947
- Most girls named
- 2025117 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1733reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +15.8%117 in 2025, from 101
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.
Mei in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- 美 in Chinese — transliteration
- 芽依 in Japanese — transliteration
- May in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Meis among us
people named Mei are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 13,737 born in 2025 was named Mei
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Jannet test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Mei's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Jannet climbed just as high around 1990, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Jannet's path sketches the road Mei is walking now.
Mei is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Mei is headed
Mei looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 24% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
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.
Mei beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Mei in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The beautiful meaning is concrete and the character's origin is genuinely interesting.
- It is current in Chinese and Japanese naming alike.
- Three letters, one syllable, and never misheard.
- The Chinese tone is lost entirely in English.
- It is a homophone of the English May and month names.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Mei to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Mei? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Mei
Feminine · #1733 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Meis are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,800 people named Mei are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Mei in 2025?
- Mei ranks #1733 among US girl names in 2025, with 117 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Mei?
- About 1 in every 13,737 US girls born in 2025 was named Mei — 117 in all.
- Will my child share the name Mei with classmates?
- Mei will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Mei
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Josephina#1733 · America#1733 · Jaylin#1733 · Iva#1733 · Huda#1733 · Alany#1733 · Sarina#1733 · Chava#1733
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Mei? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Mei and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
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
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle