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 Britain, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, as well as among Russians of German origin. People with the surname May include:
Abby May (1800–1877), American social activist
Alan Nunn May (1911–2003), English spy
Alexander May (1927–2008), German actor, producer, director
Alfred May (engineer) (1851–1920), engineer and inventor in South Australia
Andrew J. May (1875–1959), American politician
Arne May (born 1961), German neurologist
Artur May (born 1922), former German judge
Barbara May (born 1961), Austrian actress
Bartholomäus May (1446–1531), Swiss statesman
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
Buckshot May (1899–1984), American baseball player
Butler May (1894–1917), known as "Stringbeans", American blues and vaudeville performer
Carl Friedrich Rudolf May (1768–1846), Swiss statesman
Carlos May (born 1948), American baseball player
Charles S. May (1830–1891), American politician from Michigan
Christine May (born 1948), Irish politician
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, Australian singer-songwriter
Dan May (1898–1982), Nashville civic leader
Daniel May (born 1981), German politician
Daniel Boone May (1852–1878), American gunfighter
Darrell May (born 1972), American baseball player
Dave May (1943–2012), American baseball player
David May (computer scientist) (born 1951), computer scientist
David May (footballer) (born 1970), English footballer
Dent May, American pop musician
Derrick May (baseball player) (born 1968)
Derrick May (musician) (born 1963), American electronic pop music composer
Donald May (born 1927), American actor
Doris May (1902–1984), American film actress
Eddie May (1943–2012), English footballer and manager
Edmund May (1876–1956), German architect
Edna May (1878–1948), American singer and actress
Eduard May (1905–1956), German biologist, natural philosopher
Elaine May (born 1932), American screenwriter and director
Elizabeth May (born 1954), Canadian politician
Elizabeth May (athlete) (born 1983), Luxembourgian triathlete
Elmar May (1939–1999), German footballer
Emil May (1850–1933), German engineer
Ernst May (1886–1970), German architect
Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough (1815–1886), English constitutional lawyer
Eugen May (born 1954), German actor
Eva May (1902–1924), Austrian actress
Eva-Maria May (born 1985), German actress and singer
Ferdinand May (1896–1977), German dramatist and author
Fiona May (born 1969), Italian athlete
Francis Henry May (1860–1922), Hong Kong Governor
Frederick May (engineer) (John Frederick May, 1840–1897), Australian engineer and inventor
Frederick May (composer) (1911–1985), Irish composer
Georg Oswald May (1738–1816), German painter
George S. May (1890–1962), American business and pre-eminent golf promoter
Gisela May (1924–2016), German actress
Graham May (died 2006), New Zealand weightlifter
Guido May (born 1968), German jazz musician
Gustave May (1881–1943), American photographer
Hans May (1886–1958), Austrian film music composer
Henriette May (1862–1928), German women's rights activist
Henry May (disambiguation)
Hugh May (1621–1684), English architect
Jack May (1922–1997), English actor
James May (born 1963), English motor journalist
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
Julian May (born 1931), American science fiction author
Julie von May (1808–1875), Swiss feminist
Jürgen May (born 1942), German athlete
Karl May (1842–1912), German writer
Karl Ivanovich May (1820–1895), Russian educator, see Karl May School
Kenneth May (1915–1977), American mathematician
Lady May, American rapper
Larry May (born 1958), English footballer
Lee May (born 1943), American baseball player
London May (born 1967), American rock musician
Margaret May (born 1950), Australian politician
Márcio May (born 1972), Brazilian cyclist
Marin May (born 1977), American actress
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
Mike May (Colorado politician), American politician (Colorado)
Mike May (Iowa politician) (born 1945), American politician (Iowa)
Mike May (skier) (born 1954), winter Paralympics athlete
Milt May (born 1950), American baseball player
Monica May (born 1984), American actress
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) (born 1944), English rock singer and lyricist
Philip May (born 1957), husband of Theresa May
Ralphie May (born 1975), American comedian
Raphael Ernst May (1858–1933), German economist
Rex May (born 1946), American cartoonist, also creator of artificial language Ceqli
Richard May (disambiguation)
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 Prime Minister
Tim May (born 1962), Australian cricketer
Timothy C. May, American engineer and writer
Tina May (born 1961), 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
Vincent May (born 1990), drummer for Kodaline
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
