About the Mai Surname

One surname, two spellings: Mai and Maj. Taken at its root, Mai points to “May / Maciej”.

• Similar-sounding surnames on Herald Lab: Maia.
• In the 2010 US Census, 17,445 Americans gave Mai as their last name (rank 2,075). From 1891 to 2000, 889 births in France were registered under Mai. Births under the name grew in the later decades.
• Mai writes “i” in place of the “j” found in Maj, a common scribal difference.
• Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms.

Heraldry and the Mai name

Arms linked to Maj and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to. Research your Mai family history with a full surname report and painted coat of arms.