How popular is the baby name May in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name May.

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Popularity of the Baby Name May


Posts that Mention the Name May

Babies Named for Sailing Ships (R)

The people below were born aboard — and named after! — ships with R-names…

  • Raglan:
    • George Raglan Wilson, born in 1858
  • Rakaia:
    • Ann Rakaia Hoberfield, born in 1874
    • Albert Rakaia Dillon, born in 1874
  • Rajasthan:
    • Blythe Atkinson Rajasthan Malcahey, born in 1854
    • Lydia Eliza Rajasthan Rogers, born in 1854
  • Ramsey:
    • Florence Ramsey Hickman, born in 1873
    • Stephen Abbott Ramsey Johnson, born in 1873
  • Rathlin:
    • Alexander Rathlin Cunningham, born in 1879
  • Ravensdale:
    • Norman Ravensdale Smith, born in 1887
  • Remington:
    • Jane Remington Moore, born in 1877
  • Renown:
    • Edwin Renown Chillman, born in 1864
  • Restoria:
    • John Restoria Hamilton, born in 1875
  • Rialto:
    • Rialto Strick, born in 1883
  • Rimutaka:
    • Henry Rimutaka Wilson, born in 1886
  • Rinaldo:
    • William Rinaldo Lawn, born in 1869
    • Hewy Arthur Rinaldo Cox, born in 1869
  • Roma:
    • Roma Douglas Titel Ziell, born in 1882
    • Roma Brown, born in 1883
    • May Roma Kirk, born in 1883
    • Bessie Roma Taylor, born in 1883
  • Roman:
    • Annie Roman McNebo, born in 1887
  • Romsdal:
    • William Romsdal Osborn, born in 1883
  • Rooparell:
    • John Rooparell McGahan, born in 1874
    • J. P. Rooperell Fuller, born in 1874
  • Rosebud:
    • Rosebud Collie, born in 1883
  • Roseneath:
    • Janet Roseneath Gibson, born in 1876
  • Royal Charter:
    • Charterina Campbell, born in 1857
    • Royal Charter Bertha Parl, born in 1858

Do you think any of the ship names above work particularly well as human names?

Source: FamilySearch.org

Babies Named for Sailing Ships (P & Q)

The people below were born aboard — and named after! — ships with P-and Q-names…

  • Pacific Ocean:
    • Pacific Pearl Myrick, born in 1848
  • Palamcotta:
    • Emily Sarah Palamcotta Russell, born in 1890
  • Palestine:
    • Charles Owen Palestine Harte, born in 1873
  • Palgrave:
    • Edward Palgrave Thomas, born in 1886
  • Parthia:
    • Honora Parthia Moynahan, born in 1877
    • Parthia John George Wills, born in 1882
  • Pathan:
    • James Pathan Laurie, born in 1883
  • Peeress:
    • Elizabeth Peeress Brown, born in 1874
  • Penelope:
    • Penelope Ribeiro, born in 1857
  • Pennsylvania:
    • Pennsylvania Hall Gilman, born in 1869
  • Percy:
    • Percy George Cooper White, born in 1869
    • Thomas Percy Chenney, born in 1870
  • Pericles:
    • Alfred Pericles Maxfield, born in 1877
    • Ernest Pericles Waite, born in 1878
    • James Pericles Greig, born in 1878
    • Alfred Pericles Fletcher, born in 1883
    • Fanny Pericles Craven, born in 1883
    • Elizabeth Pericles Hutchins, born in 1883
    • Kate Pericles Jewell, born in 1883
  • Persia:
    • Henry Persia Mallet, born in 1854
  • Peruvian:
    • Maria Peruvia Hoxer, born in 1872
    • William Henry Peruvian Foster Davies, born in 1972
    • Peruviana Gudbjorg Krisgansson, born in 1891
  • Peter Denny:
    • Richard Pycroft Denny Gough, born in 1874
  • Peterborough:
    • Peterborough Daniel Brown, born in 1884
  • Pioneer:
    • John William Pioneer Wiles, born in 1858
  • Pleiades:
    • Emily Pleiades Hancock, born in 1872
    • Eveline Pleiades Norris, born in 1873
  • Pleione:
    • Effie Pleione Bunting, born in 1883
  • Pounder:
    • Henry Pounder Glory Levistone, born in 1818
  • Potosi:
    • Charlotte Potosi Botterill, born in 1884
    • Matle (?) Potosi Pogorelsky, born in 1891
  • Priam:
    • George Priam Hay, born in 1871
  • Propontis:
    • Wilhemina Propontis Conolly, born in 1854
  • Prussian:
    • Magdalen Prussian Jones, born in 1882
  • Ptolemy:
    • Ann Ptolemy Dancker, born in 1883
  • Quetta:
    • Clara Quetta Green, born in 1885
    • John Quetta Eales, born in 1886
    • May Quetta Hollett, born in 1886

Do you think any of the ship names above work particularly well as human names?

Source: FamilySearch.org

Babies Named for Sailing Ships (O)

The people below were born aboard — and named after! — ships with O-names…

  • Oaklands:
    • Ivo Oaklands Rowe, born in 1877
    • George Oaklands Southam, born in 1877
    • John Fuller Oaklands Munn, born in 1877
    • Geneva Oaklands Perry, born in 1877
    • Beatrice Sarah Oaklands Simons, born in 1877
  • Oceanic:
    • Catherine Oceanica Bernter, born in 1874
  • Octavia:
    • William Octavius Foster, born in 1857
  • Olago:
    • Olago William Holliday, born in 1883
  • Olbers:
    • Kate Mary Olbers Scott, born in 1878
    • Francisco Olbers Ferera, born in 1879
    • Mary Louisa Olbers Mansell, born in 1884
  • Lady Olive:
    • Eliza Olive Frazer, born in 1881
  • Olympia:
    • Mary Anne Olympia Sullivan, born in 1872
    • Olympia Sanna, born in 1880
    • Olympia Cataneza, born in 1886
  • Lake Ontario:
    • Jennie Ontario Bottomley, born in 1888
  • Opawa:
    • Caroline Opawa Langford, born in 1878
    • George Frederick Opawa Whittlestone, born in 1879
  • Orari:
    • Annie Orari Mosey Andrews Kelly, born in 1876
    • Albert Orari Smith, born in 1876
    • Robert Cotton Orari Garratt, born in 1878
    • Mary Orari Kenney, born in 1879
  • Oregon:
    • James Oregon Tansley, born in 1887
    • Anna Oregonia Larsen, born in 1887
  • Orient:
    • Orient Elizabeth Searle, born in 1871
    • Annie Orient Smith, born in 1889
  • Orizaba:
    • William Orizaba Brown, born in 1887
    • May Orizoba Curtiss, born in 1891
  • Orotava:
    • Ethel Orotavia Morris, born in 1891
  • Oroya:
    • Oroya Fletcher, born in 1889
  • Otago:
    • Otago J. Shearer, born in 1882
    • Otago William Holliday, born in 1883
    • Andrew Otago McCulloch, born in 1884
  • Oxford:
    • William Cuthbert Oxford Morse, born in 1876
    • John William Ackerman Oxford Booth, born in 1877
    • Charles Oxford Stubbs, born in 1881

Do you think any of the ship names above work particularly well as human names?

Source: FamilySearch.org

Inconspicuous Anagram Baby Names

I recently updated my old Anagram Baby Names post to make it much more comprehensive. As I worked on it, though, I noticed that many of those sets of names had obvious similarities, such as the same first letters and/or the same rhythm.

So I thought I’d make a second, shorter list of anagram names that were less conspicuously similar. Specifically, I wanted the second list to feature sets of names with different first letters and different numbers of syllables.

And that’s what you’ll find below — pairs of anagram names that are relatively distinct from one another. So much so that, at first glance (or listen), some might not even strike you as being anagrammatic at all. :)

Click on any name to check out its popularity graph…

Most of the names above have a clear number of syllables, but a few do not. (I categorized them according to my own interpretation/accent.) So, if you’re interested in using any of these pairings, just remember to test the names out loud first!

Which of the pairs above do you like best?

Babies Named for Sailing Ships (M)

The people below were born aboard — and named after! — ships with M-names…

  • Macduff:
    • Edward Macduff Thompson, born in 1878
  • Magellan:
    • Magellan Carrahlew, born in 1870
  • Malabar:
    • Emma Malabar Young, born in 1865
  • Malta:
    • Thomas Malta McCafferty, born in 1876
  • Manora:
    • Manora Ida Power, born in 1882
  • Maraval:
    • Maraval White, born in 1878
    • Maraval Hay, born in 1878
    • Robert Maraval Schroder, born in 1879
    • Sarah Maraval McKenzie, born in 1879
  • Marcotis:
    • Marcotis Gallia, born in 1882
  • Margaret Galbraith:
    • Annie Galbraith Dawson, born in 1879
  • Marion:
    • Marion Margaret Ramsay, born in 1854
  • Marlborough:
    • Marlborough Stevens, born in 1883
  • Mary Pleasants:
    • Mary Pleasants Robinson, born in 1857
    • Mary Pleasants Poole, born in 1857
  • Mary Shepherd:
    • Margaret Mary Shepherd Crozier, born in 1865
    • Charley Shepherd Piercy, born in 1866
    • Alice Mary Shepherd Dix, born in 1866
    • Mary Shepherd Miner, born in 1873
  • Mataura:
    • Mataura Welsh, born in 1877
  • Matoaka:
    • Matoaka Atlantic Costa, born in 1864
  • May Queen:
    • May Colville Walker, born in 1881
  • Maxima:
    • Albert Maxima Shaddiek, born in 1873
  • Medford:
    • Medford Colling, born in the mid-19th century.
      • He in turn gave his name to Medford, Minnesota, in the 1850s. His father, Englishman William K. Colling, was an early Minnesota settler who “said that he had a son who was born on board the ship Medford, and was named Medford, in honor of the ship, and proposed that the town should be named Medford in honor of the boy.”
  • Medway:
    • Atalanta Medway Hancock, born in 1871
  • Melpomene:
    • Elizabeth Melpomene Hindley, born in 1882
  • Mennock:
    • Louise Mennock Looney, born in 1885
  • Merkara:
    • Alexander Merkara McLeod, born in 1882
    • Alice Mabel Merkara Atkin, born in 1884
    • Mary Ellen Merkara Mathews, born in 1885
    • Merkara Beier, born in 1887
    • Merkara Smith, born in 1887
    • Merkara Cave Bratz, born in 1890
  • Merope:
    • Merope Pentebow, born in 1879
  • Middlesex:
    • Carter Middlesex Mellows, born in 1866
  • Miltiades:
    • Edward Miltiades Taylor, born in 1874
    • Jessie Miltiades Mary Jennings, born in 1874
  • Mirage:
    • Alice Mirage Osgood, born in 1864
  • Mississippi:
    • Mississippi Petrovitch, born in 1885
  • Mizpah:
    • Joseph Mizpah Bagley, born in 1880
  • Montana:
    • Jane Montana McGuiness, born in 1878
    • Henry Montana Rowson, born in 1879
  • Moravian:
    • Thomas Moravian Carter, born in 1868
    • Ellen K. Moravian Warford, born in 1872
    • Thomas Moravian McElraith, born in 1881
  • Morna:
    • Morna Francis, born in 1887
  • Myrtle:
    • James Myrtle Holme Robertson, born in 1877

Do you think any of the ship names above work particularly well as human names?

Sources: