May
May is a female given name: 98% of people named May are women, and it is recorded as female in 7 of the 7 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Female
- Male / female split
- 2% male / 98% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Arabic and Persian countries, Norway
- US births since 1880
- 699 male / 48,226 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address May
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear May," in English, "Guten Tag May," in German. May is a female given name: about 98% of people named May are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear May,
German
Guten Tag May,
French
Bonjour May,
Spanish
Estimado/a May:
Chinese
May您好：
Japanese
May様
English
Hi May,
German
Hi May,
French
Salut May,
Spanish
Hola May,
Chinese
May你好：
Japanese
Mayさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | woman's name | 1% |
| Arabic and Persian countries | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Norway | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Great Britain | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Denmark | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Sweden | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Netherlands | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
699 male · 48,226 female · 48,925 births recorded
Since 1980: 2% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is May a male or female name?
May is a female given name: 98% of people named May are women, and it is recorded as female in 7 of the 7 countries covered.
How do I address May in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear May," in English, "Guten Tag May," in German. May is a female given name: about 98% of people named May are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is May a unisex name?
May is not a unisex name: 2% of people named May are men. May leans strongly female overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is May a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/may (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_may,
title = {Is May a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/may},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}