Mae?

[blue2711]

Any thoughts? I like it and don't know anyone called it. Always on the look out for something that is not everywhere but not too strange. What does it make you think of / picture?

[CorrieQueen]

Think it's nicer as May. Nice name though. Makes me think of pretty flowers and dancing!

[burntsienna]

I think you'd find it's much more common as a second name. I too prefer the correct spelling of May. Mae is an affectation.

[suzikettles]

It's the middle name of about 25% of all baby girls born in the last 5 years as far as I can see, but it is a pretty name (another 25% have Rose as a middle name and all the other names have to share the other 50%).

Right enough, I don't know anyone with it now as a first name but a lot of the middle-name-Mae's were named after grandmothers/great-grandmothers. I had a great Aunt May.

I think it's one of the many diminutives of Margaret.

[suzikettles]

Or maybe a form of Mary actually as my Great Aunt May had a sister called Margaret so presumably wasn't one herself.

[Onion1968]

it's pretty and would be lovely unless your surname is West or Flowers or Fly or King or ........?

[MelinaM]

I like it, but much prefer the spelling May

[SolarPanel]

I like it. Prefer May spelling.

[tigermummy35]

Mae is short for Mabel. I know a few people with Mae as a middle name.

Personally I think it's pretty :)

[Emelene]

I prefer the spelling May.

But I have a little cousin called Martha Mae. It's sweet. :)

[Beamur]

Its cute.

[CristinaTheAstonishing]

You don't know anyone called it? Are you serious? :)

[JoInScotland]

"Mae" is what the blossom on the hawthorn is called. As they say round here:

Dunnae pass the cloot
Until the mae is oot.

It means "don't give your winter clothes away until the hawthorn has blossomed - you might need them again". So I wouldn't say the "Mae" spelling is incorrect per se.

[MelinaM]

^I like that saying ...and so true!

[IWouldNotCouldNotWithAGoat]

love it but would spell it May.

[blue2711]

Thanks everyone. I hadn't thought about the middle name thing and it seems it's more common than I thought. It's strange, isn't it, that Rose and Mae seem to be so ubiquitous as middle names rather than first when they're so pretty? Much nicer than the Olivia / Isabel / Evie obsession that is currently raging where I live. Don't get me wrong, those names are nice but I can never understand why we're all so sheep like when it comes to names when there are so many options!

So on that subject, any further ideas of names, that are pretty and classic like Mae but that don't already belong to numerous small girls I know?

[Bucharest]

May would be lovely as a first name, as would Rose.

[Yukana]

I prefer Mae. :) That's a lovely choice.

[burntsienna]

I think it's just a matter of rhythm and cadence - a short name following a polysyllabic one tends to sound better. Having the short name first gives a rather jerky result, because the stress always falls on the single syllable name.

Elizabeth May or May Elizabeth
Catherine Rose or Rose Catherine

[deemented]

Dislike that spelling immensely.

Either use the proper May or the Welsh Mai.

[burntsienna]

I'm sure the association most people would make is Mae West, and the inflatable lifejacket named after her :)

[Bottleofbeer]

I much prefer it as a first name. Anything Mae/May/Mai sounds like a clampet - no idea why it's sooooo populr as a middle name.

[oohlaalaa]

I prefer the Mae spelling.

I have a friend with a gorgeous baby daughter, called Mae.

[oohlaalaa]

I love the name Faye too.

I do think Mae is a gorgeous name and spelling, and would love to use it myself, but it has been taken by friend.

Other one syllable, slightly more unusual names:

June
Fern
Beth
Gwen