May vs Princess
May and Princesscompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2024, May was ranked #342 and Princess #736 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, May was ranked #610 and Princess #869 among girls in England and Wales.
May and Princess over time
May and Princess appear together in 2 published lists, across 45 years of shared records. May held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Princess in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
May and Princess changed places 6 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #610 and #869.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
May held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Princess in 6.
Highest recorded here: May #325 in 2007, Princess #324 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: May #610, Princess #869.
Republic of Ireland · Girls16 shared years, 2002–2024
May held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Princess in 8.
Highest recorded here: May #289 in 2017, Princess #238 in 2002.
The order changed in 2014: May moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #677 and #612; by 2014 that had become #353 and #876.
Most recent shared year, 2024: May #342, Princess #736.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | May | Princess |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #481 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #736 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- May has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Princess.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
May
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #43 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #24 among girls in Norway, in 1956 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #481 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Princess
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1522 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded2000–2024
Highest recorded position: #238 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2002 (recorded 2000–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #869 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls