May Township was named for May Griffith, the daughter of a county official.

The city of Motley is located entirely within May Township geographically but is a separate entity.

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 730 people, 265 households, and 205 families residing in the township.

There were 330 housing units at an average density of 5.5 per square mile (2.1/km2).

17.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.