Would an Egyptian Mau be more reserved with strangers than an Ocicat?

Not really, you've got it backwards. Ocicats are generally more outgoing and less reserved with strangers than Egyptian Maus. Egyptian Maus tend to be more cautious and selective, often taking time to warm up to new people, while Ocicats are typically friendly and confident right off the bat.

I've actually owned both breeds and I can say from experience that Egyptian Maus are definitely more standoffish at first. My Mau would hide under the bed for hours when new people came over, while my Ocicat was practically greeting guests at the door like a little dog.

Yes, in my experience the Mau is definitely more reserved. My Egyptian Mau, Bastet, would sit across the room and watch visitors for at least an hour before even considering getting close, whereas my friend's Ocicat, Ziggy, hopped right into my lap the first time I walked through the door.

I've seen this firsthand with my own two cats. My Egyptian Mau, Cleo, needs a solid 20 minutes of quiet observation from across the room before she'll even let a stranger blink in her direction, while my Ocicat, Jasper, will walk right up and rub against their legs within seconds of them walking through the door. The Mau's caution is a protective instinct, not shyness, but it's definitely more reserved.

An Egyptian Mau is typically more reserved than an Ocicat. I once watched my friend’s Mau, named Nefertiti, spend an entire dinner party perched on a high shelf, only descending after everyone left, while her Ocicat, Pepper, was weaving between guests’ legs before they even took their coats off. The Mau’s caution comes from its wild ancestor, the African wildcat, making it naturally more observant and slow to trust, whereas Ocicats were bred from domestic shorthairs and Siamese, giving them a dog-like eagerness to meet new people.