Contents [hide]

May History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

May History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The German surname May first emerged in the Rhineland, and means, simply, "May." The name was most likely originally borne by someone who was either born in the month of May or particularly fond of the spring.

Early Origins of the May family

The surname May was first found in the Rhineland, where this family was a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always influential in social affairs, the family became an integral part of that turbulent region as it forged alliances with other families within the region and the nation.

Early History of the May family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our May research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1326, 1355, 1774 and 1838 are included under the topic Early May History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

May Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: May, Mai, Mais, Maye, Mey, de May, du May, Maya and many more.

Early Notables of the May family

Notables with the name May during this period were

Heinrich Meye (1326-1355), a mayor in the Rhineland, and Ludwig Meye (1774-1838), a banker

May World Ranking

In the United States, the name May is the 264^th most popular surname with an estimated 99,480 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name May is ranked the 504^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,663 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name May is the 458^th popular surname with an estimated 103 people with that name. 3 France ranks May as 2,818^th with 2,000 - 2,500 people. 4 Australia ranks May as 185^th with 17,362 people. 5 New Zealand ranks May as 247^th with 2,419 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks May as 232^nd with 25,091 people. 7 South Africa ranks May as 358^th with 19,282 people. 8

May migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

May Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Cornelius May, who arrived in Virginia in 1616
Dorothy May arrived on the "Mayflower" in 1620
Dorothy May, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 9
Cornelius May, who landed in Virginia in 1623 9
Hannah May, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

May Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry May, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 9
Johan Peter May, who arrived in New York in 1709 9
Martin May, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 9
Johann May, who landed in America in 1741 9
Johan Henrich May, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

May Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob May, aged 30, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 9
Emanuel May, aged 22, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 9
Lionel May, aged 43, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 9
Mr. Edward May, (b. 1789), aged 43, Cornish farmer departing from Plymouth aboard the ship "Andromeda" arriving in the United States on 10th May 1832 10
Morris May, who landed in Texas in 1835 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

May Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs.Elizabeth J.E. May, (b. 1846), aged 57, American returning from Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Campania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 7th November 1903 en route to Butte, Montana, USA 11
Mrs. Florence May, (b. 1873), aged 30, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th October 1903 en route to Globe, Arizona, USA 11
Mr. Frank May, (b. 1899), aged 4, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th October 1903 en route to Globe, Arizona, USA 11
Mr. James May, (b. 1871), aged 32, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 2nd August 1903 en route to Norway, Michigan, USA 11
Mr. John Charles May, (b. 1868), aged 35, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 11th July 1903 en route to Hancock, Michigan, USA 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

May migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

May Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean May, aged 30, who arrived in Canada in 1657
Mr. Jean May, French settler travelling to Canada to work for Antoine Grignon, Pierre Gaigneur, and Jacques Massé, arriving on 19th March 1657 12

May Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Ann May, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. William May U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on December 13, 1783 was passenger number 396 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York, USA 13
Mr. William May U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 he served in Butlers Rangers, married with 5 children 13

May Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Heinrich May, a Hessian mercenary who settled in Newfoundland after fighting in the American Revolution
Catherine May, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831
Jane Donnelly May, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1837
Elizabeth Jane May, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1843
Mr. Martin May, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lord Ashburton" departing 13th September 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 1st November 1847 but he died on board 14

May migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

May Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John May, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK in 1801, sentenced for life, transported aboard the ship "Glatten" on 23rd September 1802 to New South Wales, Australia 15
Mr. James May, British Convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
Miss Jane May, (b. 1881), aged -72, Irish convict who was convicted in Wicklow, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 17
Miss Charlotte May, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Broxbournebury" in January 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 18
Mr. John May, British Convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 19
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

May migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

May Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

M May, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
James May, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Geo Fife
Mr. May, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "George Fyffe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 7th November 1842 20
George May, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1843
Joseph May, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

May migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 21

May Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William May, who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1634
Mathew May, aged 21, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 9
Mr. Mathew May, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 22

Contemporary Notables of the name May (post 1700) +

Theresa Mary May (b. 1956), née Brasier, a British politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2016-2019), Leader of the Conservative Party (2016-2019), Home Secretary (2010-2016)
Sir Brian Harold May CBE (b. 1947), English astrophysicist and lead guitar player for the rock band "Queen", inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, awarded the Lawrence J. Burpee Medal in 2019
Donald Adam "Don" May (1927-2022), American actor born in Chicago, Illinois, best known for his roles in Colt .45 (1957–1960) and The Edge of Night
Rick May (1940-2020), American voice actor and theatrical performer, director, and teacher from Seattle, Washington
Malachi J. Le May, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Shelton, Connecticut, 1949-56; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 1956
Julian Clare May (1931-2017), American science fiction, fantasy, horror, science and children's writer
Ralph Duren "Ralphie" May (1972-2017), American stand-up comedian and actor who died of cardiac arrest at the age of 45
John Milton May (1950-2017), American politician, Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
David LaFrance May (1943-2012), American Major League Baseball outfielder, inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame (1984)
Bert Deems May (b. 1969), American NFL football former tight end
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the May family +

Bismarck

Fritz May (b. 1920), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck (1941) during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he survived the sinking 23

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Mark May (1873-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 24

HMS Dorsetshire

Stanley May (d. 1945), British Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 25

RMS Titanic

Mr. Arthur May (d. 1912), aged 24, English Fireman/Stoker from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 26
Mr. Arthur William May Sr. (d. 1912), aged 60, English Fireman's Messman from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 26

SS Caribou

Mr. Herbert May (b. 1923), Newfoundland passenger from Belleoram, Newfoundland and Labrador was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking
Mr. Edward George May (b. 1916), British passenger who was Royal Navy from Halifax, Nova Scotia was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he died in the sinking
Mrs. Clara May, Newfoundland passenger from Newfoundland and Labrador was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, she survived the sinking

USS Arizona

Mr. Louis Eugene May, American Ship's Cook Second Class from Kansas, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 27

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 85)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/broxbournebury
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html