Mei
How to say it: MAY · /ˈmeɪ/
From Chinese 'mei' meaning 'beautiful, plum blossom' - also Japanese name; short and cross-cultural.
Mei was the 364th most popular girls’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 117 babies (Social Security Administration). The 2020s are its busiest decade so far, its births are up about 30% in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #322 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among girls’ names, 2025 | #364 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 117 |
| Share of births | 1 in 3,708 |
| Peak decade | 2020s |
| Change over 10 years | +30% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #322 |
| In France, 2025 | #231 among girls’ names, 65 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Mei is climbing: the 2020s are already its best decade.
What goes with it
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Mei is about 1 in 155.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Chinese, English, French, Japanese.
In France: #231 for girls in 2025.
Famous people named Mei
- Mei Finegold (born 1982)Israeli singer
- Mei Nagano (born 1999)Japanese actress
- Mei Yamazaki (born 2005)Japanese singer, dancer and model
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
Good to know
- Mei is Dr. Mei-Ling Zhou, a playable hero in Blizzard's Overwatch (2016), the ice-wielding Chinese scientist.
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