Mae

Did you know?

A few things about Mae you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Mae

Mae West

American actress, singer, screenwriter, and writer (1893–1980)

Choose Mae and your child shares a first name with Mae West, an American actress, singer, screenwriter, and writer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Mae, like who?” Mae West's Wikipedia article is available in 111 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Mae West on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Paramount Pictures, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,706 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Mae, 594 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Mae would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryMae has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Maes, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1895, when it ranked #52. Today it's #500, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowMae is 5.1× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 13,755 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 2,706.
• 🚀TrendMae has climbed 72 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #500. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedMae is most popular in Maine, where it ranks #176, followed by Utah (#184) and Massachusetts (#215). It's in the top 1,000 in 36 states.
• 🌍OriginMae is the #8 most popular Celtic Gaelic girl name in the US. That's out of 176 Celtic Gaelic girl and unisex names in our list.

About the name Mae

Mae is a girl name of Anglo Saxon, Celtic Gaelic and English origin. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with M and ending in “-mae”. US birth records list Mae for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1895, when it ranked #52 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #500, with 594 babies.

Origin:Anglo Saxon namesCeltic Gaelic namesEnglish namesJapanese namesLatin names