Total births
5,677
Girls' name · since 1880
Mai
5,677 babies named Mai in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1990. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3229
- among girls today
- 5,677
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 82%
- more common than other girls
5,677 babies have been named Mai since 1880, making it today's #3229 girls' name.
Mai has 5,677 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3229 as of the latest data, more common than 82% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #3229 among girls today
- 5,677 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 82% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Mai is currently the #3229 girls' name in America, more common than 82% of girls - 5,677 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #3229
- among girls today
- 5,677
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 82%
- more common than other girls
Mai vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3229
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 82% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Mai was born in this single decade.
1990
Single peak year
254 babies were named Mai in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Mai compares
5,677 Top 12% higher than 88% of 17,726 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
Mai's all-time total is 15x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mai | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,677 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 254 | 48 | 19,840 |
Mai's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Mai's SSA record in two at 1965 and the more recent half accounts for 90% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 10%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1890, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1990 peak of 254, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Mai at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1990
Current rank
#3,229
Active since
1880
Mai popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 254
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Mai popularity over time - boys
20 total births recorded since 1984 (Mai as boys' name)
Mai by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Mai's strongest decade.
1,656 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Mai births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 12
1880s
12 births
- 1890s 30
1890s
30 births
- 1900s 29
1900s
29 births
- 1910s 83
1910s
83 births
- 1920s 128
1920s
128 births
- 1930s 94
1930s
94 births
- 1940s 45
1940s
45 births
- 1950s 77
1950s
77 births
- 1960s 107
1960s
107 births
- 1970s 252
1970s
252 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,586 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,656 births
- 2000s
2000s
746 births
- 2010s 516
2010s
516 births
- 2020s 316
2020s
316 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 1,656 births (29% of all-time use).
How Mai 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 Mai's total volume
Mai vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Mai by state
Where Mai concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,704 | 30.0% |
| #2 | Minnesota | | 508 | 8.9% |
| #3 | Wisconsin | | 387 | 6.8% |
| #4 | Tennessee | | 233 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Texas | | 200 | 3.5% |
| #6 | New York | | 144 | 2.5% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 35 | 0.6% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 34 | 0.6% |
California share of Mai's total US births 30.0%
Even split
1,704 of 5,677 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 20 reporting states.
Mai appears in 20 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Mai? ▼
Mai has been given to 5,677 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #3229 as of the latest data. 254 babies were born in 1990, its single highest year.
When was Mai most popular? ▼
Mai was most popular in the 1990s decade with 1,656 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Mai most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Mai are California (1,704 births), Minnesota (508 births), Wisconsin (387 births).
How long has the name Mai been used? ▼
Records for Mai go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Mai? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Maia, Maisie, Maira, Maite, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Mai's data
- Mai's decade-level peak was the 1990s (1,656 total births); usage has since declined to 316 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Mais (1,704 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Mai
Nearby Names Like Mai
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mai
Maia Girl
#460 18,200 births
Maisie Girl
#256 12,954 births
Maira Girl
#2758 6,341 births
Maite Girl
#1043 4,466 births
Maiya Girl
#2288 4,366 births
Compare Mai side by side: Mai vs Maia Mai vs Maisie Mai vs Maira
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mai
Carlotta #3228
6,462 births · Peak 1948
Christiana #3230
10,938 births · Peak 1996
Roxanna #3227
13,459 births · Peak 1988
Talitha #3231
3,521 births · Peak 1982
Olga #3226
61,872 births · Peak 1918
Zenaida #3232
2,972 births · Peak 2023
Roxie #3225
18,412 births · Peak 1918
Sandy #3233
69,072 births · Peak 1960
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Mai: #3229 Girls' Name - 5,677 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/mai. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Mai 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 June 2026.