May (surname)

{{Infobox surname

| name =May

|image=

|imagesize=

|caption=

| pronunciation =

| meaning =

| region =Germany, Scotland

| origin = Angle, Saxon & Gaelic

| variant = Maye, Mayer, Mayes, Moyes, Mays, Myers, Meir, Meier, Meyer, Mayhew, Maynard, Meynell

| footnotes =

}}

May is a surname of Germanic (Saxon) and, independently, of Gaelic origin.http://landing.ancestry.com/learn/clues/fact.aspx?html=freetrial&cj=1&sid=originscolumn&ln=May&submit=go&sourcecode=17397&fid=5&o_xid=0000703401&o_lid=0000703401. {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=June 2022}}{{cite web | url=http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/m/may.php | title=May Surname Origin & Last Name Meaning with Genealogy & Family History Resources }} There are many variants used in English-speaking countries, as well as several variants used in Germany. The Scottish May is a sept of Clan Donald.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclanmacdonald.htm|title=History of the Donald /MacDonald Clan|website=www.rampantscotland.com}} The surname "May" remains a common surname in the United States, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, as well as among Russians of German origin; possibly also persisting in areas of the Netherlands and France.

People with the surname May include:

• Abby May (1800–1877), American social activist
• Alan Nunn May (1911–2003), English spy for the Soviet Union
• Alfred May (engineer) (1851–1920), engineer and inventor in South Australia
• Andrew J. May (1875–1959), American politician
• Anthony May (1946–2021), English actor
• Anthony May (judge) (1940–2024), British judge
• Arthur Johan May (1903–1979), acting Prime Minister of Suriname
• Bailey May (Born 2002), Filipino singer, dancer and actor. Member of the new global pop group formed by Simon Fuller, Now United
• Barry May (born 1944), South African-born English cricketer
• Billy May (1916–2004), American arranger
• Bob May, see Robert May
• Bob May (golfer) (born 1968), American golfer
• Brad May (born 1971), Canadian ice hockey player
• Brian May (born 1947), English rock guitarist and astrophysicist
• Brian May (Australian composer) (1934–1997), Australian bandleader
• Buckshot May (1899–1984), American baseball player
• Butler May (1894–1917), known as "Stringbeans", American blues and vaudeville performer
• Carlos May (born 1948), American baseball player
• Charles S. May (1830–1891), American politician from Michigan
• Christine May (born 1948), Irish politician
• Christof May (1973–2022), German Catholic priest
• Clifford May (born 1951), American activist
• Corinna May (born 1970), German singer
• Corrinne May (Corrinne Foo May Ying, born 1973), Singaporean singer-songwriter
• Cyril May (born 1929), Australian singer-songwriter
• Daniel May (disambiguation), several people
• Darrell May (born 1972), American baseball player
• Dave May (1943–2012), American baseball player
• David May (disambiguation)
• Deborah May, American actress
• Dent May (born 1985), American pop musician
• Derrick May (baseball player) (born 1968)
• Derrick May (musician) (born 1963), American electronic pop music composer
• Donald May (1929–2022), American actor
• Doris May (1902–1984), American film actress
• Dustin May (born 1997), American baseball player
• Dusty May (born 1976), American basketball coach
• Eddie May (1943–2012), English footballer and manager
• Edith May (1827–1903), pseudonym of American poet Anne Drinker
• Edmund May (1876–1956), German architect
• Edna May (1878–1948), American singer and actress
• Eduard May (1905–1956), German biologist, Nazi entomologist, natural philosopher
• Ela Q. May, child actress of the Edwardian era
• Elaine May (born 1932), American screenwriter and director
• Elizabeth May (born 1954), Canadian politician
• Elizabeth May (athlete) (born 1983), Luxembourgian triathlete
• Emil May (1850–1933), German engineer
• Ernst May (1886–1970), German architect
• Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough (1815–1886), English constitutional lawyer
• Eva May (1902–1924), Austrian actress
• Fiona May (born 1969), British and Italian athlete and actress
• Francis Henry May (1860–1922), Hong Kong Governor
• Frederick May (composer) (1911–1985), Irish composer
• Frederick May (engineer) (John Frederick May, 1840–1897), Australian engineer and inventor
• George May, 1st Baron May (1871–1946), British financial expert and public servant
• George S. May (1890–1962), American business and pre-eminent golf promoter
• Gisela May (1924–2016), German actress
• Graham May (1952–2006), New Zealand weightlifter
• Guillermo May (born 1998), Uruguayan football player
• Gustave May (1881–1943), American photographer
• Hans May (1886–1958), Austrian film music composer
• Henry May (disambiguation)
• Hugh May (1621–1684), English architect
• Imelda May (born 1974), Irish singer
• Irma May (1899-?), Polish social reformer
• Isabel May (born 2000), American actress
• Jack May (1922–1997), English actor
• James May (born 1963), English motor journalist and TV presenter
• Jan May (born 1995), German cyclist
• Jesse May (born 1980), American poker player
• Jodhi May (born 1975), English actress
• Joe May (disambiguation)
• Joe May (1880–1954), Austrian film director
• Johann Friedrich May (1697–1762), German political scientist
• John May (disambiguation)
• Jon May (born 1939), American mathematician
• Jonathan May (1958–2010), American cellist and conductor
• Joseph May (born 1974), English actor
• Julia Harris May (1833–1912), American poet, teacher, school founder
• Julian May (1931–2017), American science fiction author
• Julie von May (1808–1875), Swiss feminist
• Juliet May (born 1966), English film director
• Juliet May (judge) (born 1961), English judge
• Jürgen May (born 1942), German athlete
• Karl May (1842–1912), German writer
• Karl Ivanovich May (1820–1895), Russian educator
• Kathy May (born 1956), American tennis player
• Kenneth May (1915–1977), American mathematician
• Lady May, American rapper
• Larry May (born 1958), English footballer
• Lee May (1943–2017), American baseball player
• London May (born 1967), American rock musician
• Mac May (born 1999), American volleyball player
• Margaret May (born 1950), Australian politician
• Márcio May (born 1972), Brazilian cyclist
• Marc May (born 1956), American football player
• Mark May (born 1959), American football player
• Mathilda May (born 1965), French actress
• Mia May (1884–1980), Austrian actress
• Michaela May (born 1952), German actress
• Michael May (racing driver) (born 1934), Swiss racing driver
• Michael May (cricketer) (born 1971), English cricketer
• Mick May (born 1976 Coventry), Rugby player
• Mike May (Iowa politician) (born 1945), American politician (Iowa)
• Mike May (skier) (born 1954), winter Paralympics athlete
• Milt May (born 1950), American baseball player
• Nataliya May (born 1968), Ukrainian singer
• Patricia May, Chilean anthropologist
• Percy May (1884–1965), English cricketer
• Peter May (cricketer) (1929–1994), English cricketer
• Peter May (writer) (born 1951), Scottish writer
• Phil May (caricaturist) (1864–1903), English illustrator
• Phil May (singer) (1944–2020), English rock singer and lyricist
• Philip May (born 1957), husband of Theresa May
• Ralphie May (1972–2017), American comedian
• Richard May (disambiguation)
• Rick May (1940–2020), American (voice) actor, theatrical performer, director, and teacher
• Robert May (disambiguation)
• Rollo May (1909–1994), American psychologist
• Rüdiger May (born 1974), German boxer
• Rudy May (born 1944), American baseball player
• Saidie May (1879–1951), American art collector
• Sarah May (born 1972), English writer
• Scott May (born 1954), American basketball player
• Sean May (born 1984), American basketball player
• Simon May (born 1944), English film and TV music composer
• Søren Nielsen May (died 1679), Danish priest
• Theresa May (born 1956), British former Prime Minister
• Tim May (born 1962), Australian cricketer
• Timothy C. May, (1951–2018) American engineer and writer
• Tina May (1961–2022), English jazz singer
• Thomas May (1594/5–1650), English poet
• Tom May (rugby union) (born 1979), English rugby player
• Torsten May (born 1969), German boxer
• Trevor May (born 1989), American baseball player
• Vladimir May-Mayevsky (1867–1920), Russian general
• William May (theologian) (died 1560), English archbishop
• Wop May (1896–1952), Canadian pilot
• Zakhar May (born 1969), Russian rock musician