| ![Show Contents]() Maye History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Maye is rooted in the ancient Norman culture that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It was a name for someone who was a person born or baptized in the month of May. The name Maye is derived from the Old French word mai, which has cognates in the other European languages that were all derived from the Latin word Maius. 1 Robert, Ralph de Mai and Robert Mai were listed in Normandy 1180-1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae) 2 Early Origins of the Maye familyThe surname Maye was first found in Lincolnshire where Johannes filius Maie was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1274. A few years later, Elenza May was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301 and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 includes an entry for May de Hindley. William Mai was found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1167 and a later Pipe Rolls included William le Mal in 1177. Thomas le Mey and Goscelin Mey were both listed in Suffolk in 1221. 3 The Hundredorum Rolls also includes: Richard le May, Huntingdonshire; Bateman le May, Bedfordshire; Cristin le May, Cambridgeshire; Roger filius Maye, Shropshire; John Filius Maye, Lincolnshire; and Emman le May, Oxfordshire. 4 In Scotland, "William May rendered homage at Berwick, 1291. David May had a feud of the lands of Chapeltoun of Both from the Abbey of Culross, 1587. Alexander May appears in Bourhillis, Aberdeenshire, 1597 and John Maii in Harvestoun in Tillycultrie, 1638, and Robert Maii in Dunglas, 1640. The family is associated with Clan Macdonald where it is a form of Omay." 5 Early History of the Maye familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maye research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1291, 1573, 1604, 1605, 1611, 1614, 1621, 1624, 1625, 1626, 1628, 1629, 1630, 1640, 1642, 1655, 1665, 1684, 1685, 1698, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Maye History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Maye Spelling VariationsEndless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled May, Mai, Maye and others. Early Notables of the Maye familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Humphrey May (1573-1630), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Bere Alston (1605-1611), Westminster (1614), Lancaster (1621-1624) and 1625, and Leicester (1624-1625) and (1626-1629); Thomas May (c.1604-1655), an English...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maye Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Maye RankingIn the United States, the name Maye is the 7,666th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6  Migration of the Maye family to Ireland
Some of the Maye family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Maye migration to the United States | + |
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Maye or a variant listed above:
Maye Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Cornelius Maye, aged 25, who landed in Virginia in 1616 aboard the ship "Providence" 7
- Richard Maye, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 7
- Tho Maye, who landed in Virginia in 1658 7
- Martin Maye, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 7
Maye Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Matthias Maye, aged 27, who landed in Missouri in 1840 7
- Albert Maye, who arrived in Texas in 1846 7
| Maye migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Maye Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century- Peter Maye who settled in the Bay of Bulls, Newfoundland, in 1675 8
| Contemporary Notables of the name Maye (post 1700) | + |
- Bettye Maye, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 2004 9
- Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
|
Maye migration to the United States 
Maye migration to Canada 
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland
