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Mei as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Mei

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The baby name Mei is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced {'Mandarin': 'měi /meɪ̯/ (third tone)', 'Cantonese': "mei /mɛːi/ (approx.; often romanized 'Mei' or 'Mui')", 'Japanese': 'Mei /me.i/ (two morae; often heard as a close glide)', 'English': "/meɪ/ (rhymes with 'may')"}.

Mei is Chinese, Japanese in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Chinese, Japanese
Pronunciation: {'Mandarin': 'měi /meɪ̯/ (third tone)', 'Cantonese': "mei /mɛːi/ (approx.; often romanized 'Mei' or 'Mui')", 'Japanese': 'Mei /me.i/ (two morae; often heard as a close glide)', 'English': "/meɪ/ (rhymes with 'may')"}

What is the meaning of the name Mei ?

The baby name Mei is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced {'Mandarin': 'měi /meɪ̯/ (third tone)', 'Cantonese': "mei /mɛːi/ (approx.; often romanized 'Mei' or 'Mui')", 'Japanese': 'Mei /me.i/ (two morae; often heard as a close glide)', 'English': "/meɪ/ (rhymes with 'may')"}.

Mei is Chinese, Japanese in Origin.

Mei is a feminine given name in Chinese and Japanese. In Mandarin pinyin it most often represents 美 “beautiful” or 梅 “plum blossom,” a symbol of resilience and purity; it can also correspond to 妹 “younger sister.” In Japanese, Mei (めい/メイ) is a modern name whose meaning varies by kanji, commonly 芽衣 “bud + garment,” 芽生 “sprout,” or 明依 “bright + rely.”

Used in China as a standalone or as an element, Mei appears in compounds such as Meiling, Meihua, and Meixiu; its international spread followed 20th-century migration and standardized pinyin. In Japan, Mei rose sharply from the 1990s and often ranks among top girls’ names. Related forms and variants include Mei-Ling/Meiling, Meiying, Meihua, and Japanese Meika; some bearers anglicize it as May or Maye.

Mei has the following similar or variant Names

Mei – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2019 #1 — 902
KH Girls 0 #5 2 148
BN 0 #29 4 2,297
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MO 0 #40 13 2,706
GE 0 #44 1 997
TW Girls 0 #46 353 8,139
MO Girls 0 #47 305 7,056
TW 0 #55 46 4,523
HK Girls 0 #56 2,366 16,104
ID Girls 0 #56 43 3,319
JP 0 #66 12 4,057
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
CN 0 #68 18 3,857
MY Girls 0 #70 3,699 24,821
BN Girls 0 #73 34 5,459
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
PH 0 #86 11 5,607
MY 0 #87 293 12,352
SG Girls 0 #91 1,143 18,916
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
KW 0 #120 2 5,216
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
Switzerland Girls 2024 #132 4 1,786
ID Boys 0 #134 2 4,130
GR 0 #135 1 3,911
PA 0 #135 4 3,797
RS Girls 0 #137 1 1,651
BN Boys 0 #138 2 6,332
SG 0 #140 136 11,010
JP Girls 0 #143 114 6,592
BW Girls 0 #150 2 4,216
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
CN Girls 0 #160 244 8,829
CR 0 #160 6 5,526
PR Girls 0 #166 2 3,171
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
HR 0 #180 2 2,081
Sweden Girls 2021 #181 3 1,666
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
AE 0 #185 3 10,220
LU Girls 0 #188 3 4,850
AR 0 #191 3 2,915
HK 0 #198 165 8,483
LT Girls 0 #200 1 1,904
DK 0 #205 2 5,198
MO Boys 0 #209 15 5,842
AL Girls 0 #211 12 4,141
TW Boys 0 #223 19 7,111
HU Girls 0 #224 2 3,308
PS 0 #224 3 5,692
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
BD 0 #240 2 5,992
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
IL 0 #278 5 6,291
JM Girls 0 #278 1 7,507
Canada Girls 2024 #280 6 2,795
HR Girls 0 #292 3 3,687
QA Girls 0 #294 23 15,378
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
CN Boys 0 #298 22 9,639
JP Boys 0 #300 4 7,909
AL Boys 0 #302 2 5,122
SA 0 #310 3 10,560
DK Girls 0 #324 6 7,429
SD Girls 0 #324 22 7,678
KZ Girls 0 #327 6 5,862
PE 0 #327 3 6,350
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
GT 0 #337 2 5,948
JO Girls 0 #337 3 7,570
PH Girls 0 #345 46 13,098
CZ Girls 0 #349 3 5,378
MU Girls 0 #355 8 8,539
BR 0 #358 3 5,969
GH Boys 0 #361 1 8,138
PL Girls 0 #362 3 5,096
Finland Girls 0 #376 16 1,368
OM Girls 0 #377 20 15,987
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
France Girls 2021 #393 13 3,185
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
PH Boys 0 #403 6 11,440
BO 0 #404 5 6,868
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
EG 0 #407 6 6,387
Germany 0 #420 18 2,542
Spain 0 #437 16 2,326
HK Boys 0 #442 86 12,905
MX 0 #442 4 8,339
PA Girls 0 #454 28 9,861
SD Boys 0 #464 3 10,523
PT Girls 0 #466 6 7,952
RU Girls 0 #483 16 11,913
AE Girls 0 #492 62 20,968
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
KW Girls 0 #502 14 19,177
CR Girls 0 #503 30 11,342
PA Boys 0 #504 2 9,305
CO 0 #507 4 7,768
CR Boys 0 #509 2 10,188
PS Girls 0 #511 13 10,981
IQ Girls 0 #517 9 11,303
UY Girls 0 #533 4 6,731
GT Girls 0 #534 8 7,500
IR Boys 0 #535 18 10,162
BH 0 #539 15 17,937
IR Girls 0 #544 2 8,334
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
CM Boys 0 #572 4 12,054
AR Girls 0 #576 24 8,289
BO Girls 0 #596 16 9,488
IL Girls 0 #602 16 11,648
BD Boys 0 #605 1 10,045
Finland Girls 2026 #623 118 3,895
IL Boys 0 #623 3 10,983
SG Boys 0 #649 49 17,960
IN Girls 0 #653 2 13,121
LB 0 #689 2 13,263
CL Boys 0 #697 4 13,390
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
IT 0 #703 12 4,183
EG Girls 0 #711 256 14,742
QA Boys 0 #740 4 18,093
Germany Girls 0 #744 95 4,949
SY 0 #763 5 11,684
BR Boys 0 #784 2 12,213
CL Girls 0 #794 58 14,098
KW Boys 0 #806 1 18,755
Spain Girls 0 #810 174 5,561
United States Girls 2024 #816 101 8,487
TN 0 #819 11 13,765
NG Girls 0 #821 6 15,093
SA Girls 0 #853 83 25,931
EG Boys 0 #859 28 15,035
NL Girls 0 #870 86 5,933
PE Girls 0 #878 66 14,861
CO Boys 0 #908 13 15,656
OM Boys 0 #911 8 17,948
Spain Boys 0 #920 11 5,610
PE Boys 0 #924 3 14,506
Germany Boys 0 #926 27 5,697
BR Girls 0 #930 12 12,708
MY Boys 0 #978 134 25,439
NG Boys 0 #1,000 2 16,906
CO Girls 0 #1,015 64 16,140
MX Boys 0 #1,025 9 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,035 5 16,750
MX Girls 0 #1,100 84 17,781
MA 0 #1,103 26 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #1,106 36 25,928
AE Boys 0 #1,136 8 22,615
DZ 0 #1,139 38 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,149 30 25,619
TR 0 #1,201 11 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,231 216 9,415
IT Boys 0 #1,402 70 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,599 16 28,008

Mei is popular in 82 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
United States
Switzerland
Sweden

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People also ask about Mei

Mei is predominantly a girl's name.
Mei is a one syllable name, pronounced {'Mandarin': 'měi /meɪ̯/ (third tone)', 'Cantonese': "mei /mɛːi/ (approx.; often romanized 'Mei' or 'Mui')", 'Japanese': 'Mei /me.i/ (two morae; often heard as a close glide)', 'English': "/meɪ/ (rhymes with 'may')"}.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Mei, May, Mae, Mui (Cantonese romanization), Méi (accented) and Mei-Ling / Meiling (compound).
Across languages, Mei has these equivalents: Ume (Japanese, 'plum'), Bella / Belle (Italian/French, 'beautiful'), Jamila / Jamilah (Arabic, 'beautiful'), Prunella (Latin-rooted, associated with 'plum').
Yes, very popular — Mei ranked #1 in Ireland in 2019, and appears in official birth registries across 8 countries.
Mei ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2019).
Mei's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #404 in 2011 to #393 in 2021 in France.