Mai is a distinctive choice, ranked #1743 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Mai in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#1743
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 distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Mai
Unlikely. With around 17 UK babies named Mai per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Mai in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Mai is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 872 places over the last five years to #1743 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
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 — Vanessa Marija Else Ferber, known professionally as Vanessa Mai, is a German singer.; Mai Bhago — Mai Bhago also known as Mata Bhag Kaur, was a Sikh woman who led Sikh soldiers against the Mughals in 1705.; Mai Shiina — Mai Shiina (Shiina Mai) is a Japanese instructor of Shotokan karate..
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.
17
UK babies named Mai (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 872 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
Likely around 1 other Mai in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
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
Vanessa Marija Else Ferber, known professionally as Vanessa Mai, is a German singer. She was first-known as a member of Schlager band Wolkenfrei and later began working as a solo artist following the band's split.
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. In 1947, Nam Phương left Vietnam with her children and lived at the Château Thorenc, outside of Cannes, France.
Mai Trung Thứ, or Mai Thứ, was a Vietnamese painter. He was one of the graduates of the 1st entering class of the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine in Hanoi.
Mai Bhago also known as Mata Bhag Kaur, was a Sikh woman who led Sikh soldiers against the Mughals in 1705. She was an exceptionally skilled warrior on the battlefield and is revered as a warrior saint in Sikhism.
Mai Shiina (Shiina Mai) is a Japanese instructor of Shotokan karate. She is currently an instructor at the Japan Karate Association honbu (headquarters) dojo.
Mai Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan Selim, commonly known as Mai Selim (Arabic: مي سليم), is a Jordanian singer and actress. Her sisters are Mais Hamdan and Dana Hamdan.
Yuen Tsung Sze, known professionally as Mai-mai Sze (施美美), was a Chinese-American painter and writer. The Bollingen Foundation first published her translation of the Jieziyuan Huazhuan or The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting with her commentary in 1956.