What Does the Name Mei Mean?

Mei is a girl's name of Japanese origin meaning “bright, beautiful, or sprout/bud (varies by characters).”

Updated June 2026

Name	Mei
Gender	female
Origin	Japanese
Meaning	bright, beautiful, or sprout/bud (varies by characters)
Variants	May, Mai, Meixiang, Meiling
Popularity	Common in Japan and China; in the US it remains uncommon but is familiar and appreciated for its brevity and cross-cultural appeal.

The meaning and origin of Mei

The name Mei means “bright, beautiful, or sprout/bud (varies by characters)” and has Japanese origins. A Japanese (and also Chinese) name whose meaning depends on the kanji or hanzi used, commonly 'bright' (明), 'beautiful' (美), or 'sprout' (芽). It is a popular given name in Japan and East Asia and is widely recognized internationally.

Variants and related names

Mei is related to several other names you may recognize: May, Mai, Meixiang, Meiling. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Mei?

Common in Japan and China; in the US it remains uncommon but is familiar and appreciated for its brevity and cross-cultural appeal.

Popularity matters when you need believable test data: a name that fits the era or region you are modeling makes a generated profile look real. You can generate a complete fictional profile using the name Mei below.

Generate a fake Mei profile

Need a complete fictional identity using the name Mei? Generate a full profile — address, phone, email and more — for testing and privacy.