Mai is a distinctive choice, ranked #1584 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Mai in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#1584
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About the Name Mai
Mai is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 872 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #845 in 2008 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Mai is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Mai in their class.
⭐ Famous People Named Mai
Vanessa Mai — Vanessa Marija Else Ferber, known professionally as Vanessa Mai, is a German singer.
Phương Mai — Princess Phương Mai of Vietnam, Duchess of Addis Abeba was a daughter of Emperor Bảo Đại of Vietnam and his first wife, Empress Nam Phương.
Mai Thứ — Mai Trung Thứ, or Mai Thứ, was a Vietnamese painter.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Mai
Unlikely. With around 19 UK babies named Mai per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Mai in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Mai is rising: up 1,031 places since 2020, to #1,584 in 2025. Its best recorded position was #845 in 2008.
Mai is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Mai include: Vanessa Mai, Mai Bhago and Mai Shiina. Short summaries for each appear below.
Mai does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Mais in the wild.
19
UK babies named Mai (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 1031 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Mai
Almost certainly the only Mai in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Mai
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story