Popularity of the last name by country
Netherlands
- Noord-Holland (1,192)
- Zuid-Holland (467)
- Limburg (154)
- Groningen (111)
- Fryslân | Friesland (107)
- Utrecht (84)
- Gelderland (74)
- Noord-Brabant (70)
- Zeeland (44)
- Overijssel (19)
- Drenthe (3)
All countries
- United States (340,019)
- United Kingdom (239,993)
- France (157,920)
- Germany (64,734)
- New Zealand (33,665)
- Australia (33,149)
- Ireland (12,995)
- Canada (12,083)
- Austria (9,388)
- Unknown country (9,245)
- Switzerland (7,079)
- Czech republic (4,391)
- Netherlands (3,827)
- Hungary (3,632)
- Romania (3,364)
- Luxembourg (3,085)
- Belgium (2,402)
- Spain (2,349)
- Denmark (2,196)
- Italy (1,302)
- Brazil (1,247)
- Poland (1,202)
- Mexico (728)
- Sweden (617)
- Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (544)
- Colombia (528)
- Algeria (523)
- Russian Federation (465)
- India (406)
- Latvia (376)
- Argentina (282)
- China (265)
- Portugal (249)
- Norway (239)
- Martinique (227)
- Greece (210)
- Indonesia (207)
- Peru (182)
- Cuba (168)
- Jamaica (163)
Origine of last name
MAY : 1: English: from the Middle English male personal name May a pet form of <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Matthew">Matthew</a> (see <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Mayhew">Mayhew</a>).2: English Dutch and German: from a personal name or nickname taken from the month of May (Middle English Old French mai Middle High German meie from Latin Maius (mensis) from Maia a minor Roman goddess of fertility). This name was sometimes bestowed on someone born or baptized in the month of May; it was also used to refer to someone of a sunny disposition or who had some anecdotal connection with the month of May such as owing a feudal obligation then. In England this name was possibly also a pet form of Mary or Margaret. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine) and Denmark.3: English: nickname from Middle English mey may ‘kinsman’.4: English: occupational name from Middle English mei Old French mege meie ‘physician’ a side form of <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Mee">Mee</a>.5: Irish (Connacht and Midlands): when not of English origin (see 1–4 above) this is an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Miadhaigh ‘descendant of Miadhach’ a personal name or byname meaning ‘honorable proud’.6: French: habitational name from any of various places called (Le) May. Compare <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Dumay">Dumay</a> and <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Lemay">Lemay</a>.7: French: from an old vernacular form of the Latin personal name <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Marius">Marius</a> (see <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Mario">Mario</a>).8: Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from Mayen a place in western Germany.9: Americanized form of Polish and Jewish (from Poland) <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Maj">Maj</a> ‘May’ a cognate of 2 above.10: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 麥 (see <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Mai">Mai</a> 2) and 梅 (see <a href="https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/Mei">Mei</a> 1). This form occurs more often for the personal name than for the surname.11: Amerindian (Mexico): Mayan name from maay ‘cloven hoof’ by extension also ‘young deer’.
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