Find out how popular the last name Maye is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Maye.

Maye, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Maye surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Maye in America

Maye is the 7621st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Maye surname appeared 4,356 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Maye.

We can also compare 2010 data for Maye to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Maye

The surname Maye originated in England during the late medieval period, derived from the Old English word "maew" or "mayo", meaning a male relative or kinsman. It was initially used as a descriptive name to refer to a male relative or distant cousin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Maye can be traced back to the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Richard le Maye" in Huntingdonshire. This suggests that the name was well-established in England by the 13th century.

The surname Maye is also found in various early records, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, which mention "Hugh Maye", and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, listing "Walter le Maye".

In the 14th century, the surname Maye appeared in the form "Mayow" in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1381, where a certain "John Mayow" was mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

One notable figure from history bearing the surname Maye was Sir Robert Maye (c. 1480-1558), a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis during the reign of King Henry VIII.

Another prominent individual was John Maye (c. 1590-1660), an English clergyman who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1648 to 1652 and was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War.

In the 17th century, the surname Maye was also found in the form "May" in various records, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1665, which listed "William May" as a landowner in the village of Kidlington.

A notable figure from this period was Baptist May (1629-1698), an English nonconformist minister and writer who published several religious works, including "A Little Treatise of the Last Judgment" in 1693.

Moving into the 18th century, the surname Maye continued to be found in various records, including the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Weymouth, Dorset, where a certain "John Maye" was baptized in 1712.

One prominent individual from this era was William Maye (1734-1815), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis.

Throughout its history, the surname Maye has been associated with various places and locations in England, including Huntingdonshire, Yorkshire, Worcestershire, Essex, Oxfordshire, and Dorset, reflecting the widespread distribution of the name across different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Maye

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Maye.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Maye was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Maye has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Maye was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Maye, please contact us.

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