# 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
* Anthony May (1946–2021), English actor
* Anthony May (judge) (1940–2024), British judge
* 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 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 (1827–1903), pseudonym of American poet Anne Drinker
* 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
* Isabel May (born 2000), American actress
* 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
* Saidie May (1879–1951), American art collector
* 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