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Mai Family History

Mai Surname Meaning

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 麥 meaning ‘wheat’ in Chinese: (i) from Mai Qiu (麥丘) the title of a man in the state of Qi (located mainly in present-day Shandong province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) who despite being very old came to celebrate the birthday of the Duke Huan of Qi (ruler of the state of Qi died 643 BC). His descendants inherited 麥 the first part of his title as their surname.

(ii) borne by descendants of Mai Tie Zhang (麥鐵杖), a famous general during the Sui dynasty (581–618 AD). His descendants were scattered around southern China. Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese form of the surname 買 meaning ‘buy’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of the king Song Weizi, founder of the state of Song.

(ii) borne by descendants of the Duke Dao of Xu (ruler of the state of Xu 546–523 BC) possibly inheriting his personal name. (iii) from the first element of the personal name Mai Zhu Chu (買朱鉏) style name of an official who lived during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iv) it has also been traced back to other ethnic groups in northern China.

Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 米 see Mi. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 马 see Ma Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 梅 see Mei Vietnamese: from the Chinese surname 梅 see Mei.

7: German: variant of May 2 ‘May’. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine) and Denmark.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames:

May
, Bai
, Man
, Lai
, Hai
, Kai
, Mao
, Mei
, Dai
, Ma

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Where is the Mai family from?

You can see how Mai families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Mai family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Mai families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 4 Mai families living in Staffordshire. This was about 57% of all the recorded Mai's in United Kingdom. Staffordshire had the highest population of Mai families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Mai surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

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What Mai family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 19,000 census records available for the last name Mai. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mai census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Mai. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 100,000 military records available for the last name Mai. For the veterans among your Mai ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Mai lifespan?

Between 1955 and 2004, in the United States, Mai life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 1971. The average life expectancy for Mai in 1955 was 33, and 74 in 2004.

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