Girls' name · since 1947
Mei
1,859 babies named Mei in U.S. Social Security records since 1947, with the highest year being 2025. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4,933 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,738 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,859
- born since 1947
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Mei is the #1738 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 1,859 recorded since 1947.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Mei has been recorded 1,859 times among girls since 1947, currently ranked #1738 nationally and more common than 90% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1947 to 2025.
- #4,933 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,738 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,859 born since 1947
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Mei ranks #4,933 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,738 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,859 born since 1947, peaking in the 2010s.
- #4,933 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,738 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,859
- born since 1947
- 2010s
- peak decade
Mei's 1,859 recorded births place it above 93.17% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
12 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Mei compares
1,859 Top 23% higher than 77% 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
Mei's all-time total is 5x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Mei | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,859 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 117 | 21 | 19,840 |
Mei's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Mei splits its recorded history at 1993: 80% of all births land in the more recent half, 20% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1953 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 117 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Mei popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1947–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 117
- Annual births at peak, across 79 years of records
Mei by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (483 births, 26% of the file).
2010s was Mei's strongest decade.
483 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Mei births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 18
1940s
18 births
- 1950s 16
1950s
16 births
- 1960s 37
1960s
37 births
- 1970s 110
1970s
110 births
- 1980s 136
1980s
136 births
- 1990s 191
1990s
191 births
- 2000s
2000s
385 births
- 2010s
2010s
483 births
- 2020s
2020s
483 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 483 births (26% of all-time use).
How Mei 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 Mei's total volume
Mei by state
Where Mei concentrates geographically, total births since 1947
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 324 | 17.4% |
| #2 | New York | | 183 | 9.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 49 | 2.6% |
| #4 | Washington | | 22 | 1.2% |
| #5 | Florida | | 12 | 0.6% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 10 | 0.5% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 10 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Arizona | | 7 | 0.4% |
324 of 1,859 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 12 reporting states.
Mei appears in 12 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Mei? ▼
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What to do with Mei's data
- Mei's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (483 total births) through the 2020s (483) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Meis (324 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Mei
Nearby Names Like Mei
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Mei
Compare Mei side by side: Mei vs Meilani Mei vs Meira Mei vs Meisha
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Mei
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Mei: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~78 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, 1947–2025 (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 Mei 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.