May (surname)

May is a surname of Germanic (Saxon) and, independently, of Gaelic origin. There are many variants used in English-speaking countries, as well as several variants used in Germany. The Scottish May is a sept of Clan Donald. The surname "May" remains a common surname in the United States, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, as well as among Russians of German origin; possibly also persisting in areas of the Netherlands and France.

People with the surname May include:


 * Abby May (1800–1877), American social activist
 * Alan Nunn May (1911–2003), English spy for the Soviet Union
 * Alfred May (engineer) (1851–1920), engineer and inventor in South Australia
 * Andrew J. May (1875–1959), American politician
 * Arthur Johan May (1903–1979), acting Prime Minister of Suriname
 * Bailey May (Born 2002), Filipino singer, dancer and actor. Member of the new global pop group formed by Simon Fuller, Now United
 * Barry May (born 1944), South African-born former English cricketer
 * Billy May (1916–2004), American arranger
 * Bob May, see Robert May
 * Bob May (golfer) (born 1968), American golfer
 * Brad May (born 1971), Canadian ice hockey player
 * Brian May (born 1947), English rock guitarist and astrophysicist
 * Brian May (Australian composer) (1934–1997), Australian bandleader
 * Buckshot May (1899–1984), American baseball player
 * Butler May (1894–1917), known as "Stringbeans", American blues and vaudeville performer
 * Carlos May (born 1948), American baseball player
 * Charles S. May (1830–1891), American politician from Michigan
 * Christine May (born 1948), Irish politician
 * Christof May (1973–2022), German Catholic priest
 * Clifford May (born 1951), American activist
 * Corinna May (born 1970), German singer
 * Corrinne May (Corrinne Foo May Ying, born 1973), Singaporean singer-songwriter
 * Cyril May (born 1929), Australian singer-songwriter
 * Daniel May (disambiguation), several people
 * Darrell May (born 1972), American baseball player
 * Dave May (1943–2012), American baseball player
 * David May (disambiguation)
 * Deborah May, American actress
 * Dent May (born 1985), American pop musician
 * Derrick May (baseball player) (born 1968)
 * Derrick May (musician) (born 1963), American electronic pop music composer
 * Donald May (1929–2022), American actor
 * Doris May (1902–1984), American film actress
 * Dustin May (born 1997), American baseball player
 * Dusty May (born 1976), American basketball coach
 * Eddie May (1943–2012), English footballer and manager
 * Edith May (pseudonym of Anne Drinker; 1827–1903), American poet
 * Edmund May (1876–1956), German architect
 * Edna May (1878–1948), American singer and actress
 * Eduard May (1905–1956), German biologist, Nazi entomologist, natural philosopher
 * Ela Q. May, child actress of the Edwardian era
 * Elaine May (born 1932), American screenwriter and director
 * Elizabeth May (born 1954), Canadian politician
 * Elizabeth May (athlete) (born 1983), Luxembourgian triathlete
 * Emil May (1850–1933), German engineer
 * Ernst May (1886–1970), German architect
 * Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough (1815–1886), English constitutional lawyer
 * Eva May (1902–1924), Austrian actress
 * Fiona May (born 1969), British and Italian athlete and actress
 * Francis Henry May (1860–1922), Hong Kong Governor
 * Frederick May (composer) (1911–1985), Irish composer
 * Frederick May (engineer) (John Frederick May, 1840–1897), Australian engineer and inventor
 * George May, 1st Baron May (1871–1946), British financial expert and public servant
 * George S. May (1890–1962), American business and pre-eminent golf promoter
 * Gisela May (1924–2016), German actress
 * Graham May (1952–2006), New Zealand weightlifter
 * Guillermo May (born 1998), Uruguayan football player
 * Gustave May (1881–1943), American photographer
 * Hans May (1886–1958), Austrian film music composer
 * Henry May (disambiguation)
 * Hugh May (1621–1684), English architect
 * Imelda May (born 1974), Irish singer
 * Irma May (1899-?), Polish social reformer
 * Jack May (1922–1997), English actor
 * James May (born 1963), English motor journalist and TV presenter
 * Jan May (born 1995), German cyclist
 * Jesse May (born 1980), American poker player
 * Jodhi May (born 1975), English actress
 * Joe May (disambiguation)
 * Joe May (1880–1954), Austrian film director
 * Johann Friedrich May (1697–1762), German political scientist
 * John May (disambiguation)
 * Jon May (born 1939), American mathematician
 * Jonathan May (1958–2010), American cellist and conductor
 * Joseph May (born 1974), English actor
 * Julia Harris May (1833–1912), American poet, teacher, school founder
 * Julian May (1931–2017), American science fiction author
 * Julie von May (1808–1875), Swiss feminist
 * Juliet May (born 1966), English film director
 * Juliet May (judge) (born 1961), English judge
 * Jürgen May (born 1942), German athlete
 * Karl May (1842–1912), German writer
 * Karl Ivanovich May (1820–1895), Russian educator
 * Kathy May (born 1956), American tennis player
 * Kenneth May (1915–1977), American mathematician
 * Lady May, American rapper
 * Larry May (born 1958), English footballer
 * Lee May (1943–2017), American baseball player
 * London May (born 1967), American rock musician
 * Mac May (born 1999), American volleyball player
 * Margaret May (born 1950), Australian politician
 * Márcio May (born 1972), Brazilian cyclist
 * Marc May (born 1956), American football player
 * Mark May (born 1959), American football player
 * Mathilda May (born 1965), French actress
 * Mia May (1884–1980), Austrian actress
 * Michaela May (born 1952), German actress
 * Michael May (racing driver) (born 1934), Swiss racing driver
 * Michael May (cricketer) (born 1971), English cricketer
 * Mick May (born 1976 Coventry), Rugby player
 * Mike May (Iowa politician) (born 1945), American politician (Iowa)
 * Mike May (skier) (born 1954), winter Paralympics athlete
 * Milt May (born 1950), American baseball player
 * Nataliya May (born 1968), Ukrainian singer
 * Patricia May, Chilean anthropologist
 * Percy May (1884–1965), English cricketer
 * Peter May (cricketer) (1929–1994), English cricketer
 * Peter May (writer) (born 1951), Scottish writer
 * Phil May (caricaturist) (1864–1903), English illustrator
 * Phil May (singer) (1944–2020), English rock singer and lyricist
 * Philip May (born 1957), husband of Theresa May
 * Ralphie May (1972–2017), American comedian
 * Richard May (disambiguation)
 * Rick May (1940–2020), American (voice) actor, theatrical performer, director, and teacher
 * Robert May (disambiguation)
 * Rollo May (1909–1994), American psychologist
 * Rüdiger May (born 1974), German boxer
 * Rudy May (born 1944), American baseball player
 * Sarah May (born 1972), English writer
 * Scott May (born 1954), American basketball player
 * Sean May (born 1984), American basketball player
 * Simon May (born 1944), English film and TV music composer
 * Søren Nielsen May (died 1679), Danish priest
 * Theresa May (born 1956), British former Prime Minister
 * Tim May (born 1962), Australian cricketer
 * Timothy C. May, (1951–2018) American engineer and writer
 * Tina May (1961–2022), English jazz singer
 * Thomas May (1594/5–1650), English poet
 * Tom May (rugby union) (born 1979), English rugby player
 * Torsten May (born 1969), German boxer
 * Trevor May (born 1989), American baseball player
 * Vladimir May-Mayevsky (1867–1920), Russian general
 * William May (theologian) (died 1560), English archbishop
 * Wop May (1896–1952), Canadian pilot
 * Zakhar May (born 1969), Russian rock musician