Mei
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Every Mei since 1947 — 1,859 of them. Popularity, births, and rankings for each year, from official Social Security records.
The story of Mei
Mei is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,744 in 2025 with 117 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.
Since 1947, 1,859 American babies have been named Mei. Its peak came in 2025, when 117 newborns received the name — the signature sound of the 2020s.
The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Mei stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.
Mei year by year
Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 117 | #1,744 |
| 2024 | 101 | #1,961 |
| 2023 | 79 | #2,328 |
| 2022 | 55 | #3,018 |
| 2021 | 66 | #2,628 |
| 2020 | 65 | #2,619 |
| 2019 | 61 | #2,777 |
| 2018 | 65 | #2,672 |
| 2017 | 52 | #3,124 |
| 2016 | 55 | #3,046 |
| 2015 | 44 | #3,576 |
| 2014 | 49 | #3,306 |
| 2013 | 46 | #3,443 |
| 2012 | 39 | #3,968 |
| 2011 | 39 | #3,888 |
| 2010 | 33 | #4,465 |
| 2009 | 46 | #3,549 |
| 2008 | 32 | #4,727 |
| 2007 | 48 | #3,454 |
| 2006 | 47 | #3,451 |
| 2005 | 32 | #4,333 |
| 2004 | 35 | #4,063 |
| 2003 | 45 | #3,273 |
| 2002 | 30 | #4,246 |
| 2001 | 29 | #4,288 |
| 2000 | 41 | #3,320 |
| 1995 | 21 | #4,790 |
| 1990 | 21 | #4,626 |
| 1985 | 17 | #4,579 |
| 1980 | 18 | #4,245 |
| 1975 | 9 | #6,262 |
| 1970 | 8 | #6,153 |
| 1965 | — | — |
| 1960 | 7 | #5,520 |
| 1955 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1945 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1935 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1925 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1915 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1905 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1895 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1885 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
Famous people named Mei
- Mei Lanfang Singer · 1894–1961
- Mei Finegold Singer · b. 1982
- Mei Nagano Actor · b. 1999
Ranked by global fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Mei mean?
From Lua error in Module:etymology/templates at line 71: Language 'en (English)' does not match the L2 header (Translingual)., a common Chinese given name among women.
How popular is the name Mei in 2025?
Mei ranked #1,744 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 117 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
How many people are named Mei?
1,859 babies have been named Mei in the United States since 1947, based on Social Security card applications.
When was the name Mei most popular?
Mei peaked in 2025, when 117 newborns received the name.
Is Mei a boy or girl name?
Mei is overwhelmingly a girl's name — 100% of babies with the name.
Is the name Mei rising or falling?
Mei is on the rise — noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.
Who are famous people named Mei?
Well-known people named Mei include Mei Lanfang (singer), Mei Finegold (singer), Mei Nagano (actor).