Opinions on the name May?

I’ve got a Mae. Everyone says on these threads that it’s common and Boring. Yet I’ve only ever met two May/Mae’s in real life-one her and one a very lovely twinkly old lady I looked after when I first started work.
yes it’s overused as a middle name. But few people use their middle names anyway. May is a pretty month and a pretty name IMO.

My nan was May Isabella. May is a lovely name!

It’s lovely. A classic that has stood the test of time

It's a really dull and bland name.

I have a month name, and was not born in that month. I spent a lot of time explaining to adults that no, they did t know what month I was born in as a child.
May is a pretty name, easy to spell and I wish my bloody mother had called me May, because I actually was born in that month!

Stunning as a first name. I’ve never understood why May is so underused (as a first name) when fellow current ubiquitous middle names Rose and Grace are fairly popular as first names too.

May has everything going for it - quite international, easy to pronounce, currently fashionable (it fits all the trends as a retro name, a flower name AND a “nickname” style name) yet it still feels fairly classic and suits all ages. And of course she’ll also fit in at school, as at least a couple of the other girls in her class will probably have it as a middle name.

ETA: Arabella is nice enough but quite frilly in comparison imo. Personally I’d rather be a May than an Arabella and I’ve met so many Bella’s (pets and children). And no need to be born in the same month for May - it was traditionally a popular Victorian floral name (like Rose, Lily, Daisy etc) rather than especially associated with the Month like April or June.

I actually really like it! And the spelling Mae.

Soft spot for the name as it was nans middle name .

I considered as a middle name but was put off by all the hyphenated May names .

@user2848502016 , it's a diminutive of Mary, so can be used for a baby born in any month, but might get a comments about not being born in the month.

It’s nice, pretty and classic - assuming she is due in May, if not it’s a bit weird

It's OK but a bit bland. I like that it can't be shortened. I prefer Mary, which May is a diminutive for.

The Mae and Mai spellings are bad, and I don't like Maeve.

Not what's being aske but I also dislike single syllable middle names. They seem pointless and it tends to be the same ones used for most children.

May is lovely however I personally don’t like names that can’t be shortened.

How about Maeve, shortened to Mae?

I think I prefer this spelling as well.

I once knew a Mae and she was lovely. I prefer that spelling too.

I much prefer May Arabella to Arabella May. May as a first name is relatively unusual - really sweet and unfussy.

Going off-topic re. your April story - I know someone called Thursday who was born on a Friday - insanity!!!

I like May as a first name. It's simple and classic., up there with Rose and Grace. Everyone says those 3 are overdone as middle names and perhaps they are, if used without special meaning just 'because', but as first name options all 3 are classy.

I taught a May once and she was lovely (she'd be mid teens by now). Made a change from the trendy Maya, Maisie type names which are similar but much less classy.

I think May is beautiful, a lovely name. My grandma was May and it is my middle name (long long before it was everyone's bloody middle name!). I had a couple of friends once who seemed to latch on to what was once an unusual middle name and just called me May, which I loved.

Go for it!

There have been threads on here claiming May is not desirable when hyphenated, as in Ellie-May.

Fwiw I think May is sweet and I don’t feel as strongly that “ just having the hyphen” makes it somehow a different sort of name, but that is the opinion of many, which is probably worth mentioning.

I feel slightly differently in that I think the shorter syllable tends to sound better after - which I guess is names like May and Grace do get used as middle names a lot. For me “May Something Else” sounds a bit like a “May I have another biscuit?” question.

They are both pretty, classic, elegant names, neither particularly over-used so I don’t think you can go too far wrong.

However, for the reasons above I much prefer Arabella May. I just think the rhythm and flow of it is better and that Arabella is the prettier first name of the two.

If I had another girl i’d have chosen Maeve but May is also nice

I like it, simple and pretty and not used too much.

I have a May! She is primary age and so far no regrets. Lots of people commented they liked it when she was a baby as it's a well known name but unusual as a first name. Yes it's not the most out-there or exciting name so not everyone will love it, they don't have to. I think it's pretty and it really suits my daughter.

May is a classy and elegant name. I think you should go for it!

I really like it! I’ve worked with children for over thirty years and have come across a Mai but not a May. My mum had a friend years ago called May and she was lovely 🙂