NameRealm
Mai

Mai: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“dance; brightness; plum blossom”
Origin
Japanese
Say it
MY · 1 syllable
Used for
Girls

In Japanese, Mai commonly means 'dance', though meanings vary by kanji. In Vietnamese, Mai is a surname and given name associated with the mai blossom, often the apricot blossom.

Japanese namesNames meaning musicNames meaning flowerNames meaning beautyShort namesInternational names

How popular is Mai?

202414.7 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Mai in 202449

2024 rank#3,212 girls

Peak year1990

Total US babies since 18805,642

Mai has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Mai

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Ayacolorful design; verse, sign · Japanese
  • Hanaflower · Japanese
  • Kairisea village · Japanese
  • Noridoctrine, ceremony, law · Japanese
  • Renlotus; love; connection · Japanese
  • Emibeautiful blessing · Japanese
  • Kyomiuncertain; depends on kanji · Japanese
  • Kiyomipure beauty · Japanese

Mai questions

What does the name Mai mean?

Mai means "dance; brightness; plum blossom". It comes from Japanese. In Japanese, Mai commonly means 'dance', though meanings vary by kanji. In Vietnamese, Mai is a surname and given name associated with the mai blossom, often the apricot blossom.

Is Mai a boy or girl name?

Mai is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Mai?

49 US babies were named Mai in 2024. Its peak year was 1990.

How do you pronounce Mai?

Mai is usually pronounced MY.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.