Girls' name · since 1880
Mae
Mae has 114,835 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #339 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #500 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 114,835
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Mae currently ranks #500 among girls' names in America, with 114,835 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Mae recorded 114,835 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #500 nationally today, ahead of 97% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #339 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #500 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 114,835 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Mae ranks #339 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #500 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 114,835 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #339 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #500 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 114,835
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Mae's 114,835 recorded births place it above 99.53% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Mae compares
114,835 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Mae's all-time total is 305x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mae | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 114,835 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,756 | 21 | 19,840 |
Mae's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Mae's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 15% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 85%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1993, with only 45 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 2,756, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Mae popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 2,756
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Mae popularity over time - boys
606 total births recorded since 1885 (Mae as boys' name)
Mae by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (22,760 births, 20% of the file).
1920s was Mae's strongest decade.
22,760 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Mae births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5,647
1880s
5,647 births
- 1890s
1890s
10,918 births
- 1900s
1900s
12,711 births
- 1910s
1910s
21,530 births
- 1920s
1920s
22,760 births
- 1930s
1930s
12,859 births
- 1940s 8,947
1940s
8,947 births
- 1950s 5,542
1950s
5,542 births
- 1960s 2,172
1960s
2,172 births
- 1970s 830
1970s
830 births
- 1980s 606
1980s
606 births
- 1990s 654
1990s
654 births
- 2000s 1,714
2000s
1,714 births
- 2010s 4,427
2010s
4,427 births
- 2020s 3,518
2020s
3,518 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 22,760 births (20% of all-time use).
How Mae compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Mae's total volume
Mae by state
Where Mae concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 5,428 | 4.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 4,977 | 4.3% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 4,778 | 4.2% |
| #4 | New York | | 4,738 | 4.1% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 4,696 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Mississippi | | 4,604 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Alabama | | 3,792 | 3.3% |
| #8 | South Carolina | | 3,746 | 3.3% |
5,428 of 114,835 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Mae appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Mae? ▼
Where does Mae sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Mae most popular? ▼
Where is Mae most popular? ▼
How long has the name Mae been used? ▼
What names are similar to Mae? ▼
What to do with Mae's data
- Mae's decade-level peak was the 1920s (22,760 total births); usage has since declined to 3,518 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Maes (5,428 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Mae
Nearby Names Like Mae
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mae
Compare Mae side by side: Mae vs Maeve Mae vs Maegan Mae vs Maelynn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mae
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Mae: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Mae draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.