Massimo
Massimo was the 938th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 251 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 844th with 289 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 439 places. More babies were named Massimo in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning greatest · Italian, Latin
Say it MAH-see-moh /ˈmɑsimoʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #938 boys, up 443 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 251boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2023289 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,026babies recorded
What does the name Massimo mean?
Massimo is the Italian form of the Latin name Maximus, from the adjective maximus 'greatest', the superlative of magnus 'great'. DMNES glosses the name 'greatest, largest; chief' and lists many early saints who bore it. Its Latin form Maximus and the short form Max are used in English.
maximus (Latin, “greatest”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Maximus, Max, Maxim, Massimiliano.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Massimo' (Italian section), Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Maxim', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Massimo
The usual nicknames for Massimo are Max. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Massimo in the last five years, 920 were named Max, against 2738 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max · also for Maxwell, Maximus, Maximiliano | Modern | #180 | 11,155 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Massimos go by each one.
Massimo popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #938 | 251 |
| 2020 | #1,381 | 127 |
| 2010 | #1,208 | 148 |
| 2000 | #2,076 | 49 |
| 1990 | #4,116 | 14 |
| 1980 | #3,050 | 15 |
| 1970 | #2,824 | 12 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Massimo, counting every spelling?
Massimo is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #901 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #938 for Massimo on its own. Together these spellings went to 251 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massimo | 251 | #938 | 1,213 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Massimo?
251 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Massimo (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Massimo born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 33 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Massimo.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Massimo?
About 4,000 people born in the US named Massimo are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 4 and 20. That makes Massimo a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Massimo by state
How common Massimo was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Florida (2.9×), New Jersey (2.9×), New York (2.5×), Connecticut (2.1×), Illinois (1.9×). In 32 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Massimo: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Massimo, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Massimo · Sibling names for Massimo
Questions about the name Massimo
What does Massimo mean?
Massimo means “greatest” (Italian, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Massimo?
Massimo was the 938th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 251 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 844th with 289 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 439 places. More babies were named Massimo in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Massimo a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Massimo in the US.
Where is Massimo most popular?
In 2021–2025, Massimo was most common in Florida (0.41 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and New York.