Max
Max was the 180th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,025 babies. Its best year was 2011, when it ranked 96th; the most babies were born in 2009 (3,958). Over the last ten years it has moved down 63 places. More babies were named Max in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning greatest (short form of Maximilian) · German, Latin
Say it MAKS /mæks/
- Rank in 2025
- #180 boys, down 33 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,025boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20093,958 babies
- Total since 1880
- 168,577babies recorded
What does the name Max mean?
Max began in the 19th century as a German short form of Maximilian, according to Wiktionary, and is also used for Maxwell, Maxine and other names. Maximilian and its relatives go back to the Latin family name Maximus, 'greatest'; Wikipedia notes that almost all the Max names derive from this Roman cognomen. Max is now often a full name in its own right, for boys and occasionally for girls.
Maximus (Latin, “greatest”)magnus (Latin, “great”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Maximilian, Maxwell, Maximus, Maxine, Maxim, Maximiliano.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Max', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Max (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Max
The usual nicknames for Max are Maxie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxie · also for Maxine | Traditional | #10,322 | 7 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Maxs go by each one.
Max popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,119 since 1912, 41 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #180 | 2,025 |
| 2020 | #147 | 2,486 |
| 2010 | #98 | 3,848 |
| 2000 | #165 | 2,355 |
| 1990 | #171 | 1,791 |
| 1980 | #362 | 486 |
| 1970 | #370 | 486 |
| 1960 | #297 | 669 |
| 1950 | #240 | 755 |
| 1940 | #165 | 952 |
| 1930 | #143 | 1,181 |
| 1920 | #112 | 1,561 |
| 1910 | #115 | 277 |
| 1900 | #149 | 141 |
| 1890 | #144 | 99 |
| 1880 | #230 | 52 |
How popular is Max, counting every spelling?
Max is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #184 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #180 for Max on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,125 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max | 2,025 | #180 | 11,155 |
| Maxx | 92 | #1,761 | 403 |
| Maks | 8 | #9,400 | 47 |
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 Max?
2,025 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Max (0.56 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Max 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 4 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Max.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Max?
About 118,000 people born in the US named Max are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 12 and 34. That makes Max mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Max by state
How common Max was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (4.7×), Alaska (2.1×), North Dakota (2.0×), Massachusetts (2.0×), Utah (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Max: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Max, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Max · Sibling names for Max
Max is also a nickname for Massimo, Maxwell, Maximus, Maximiliano, Maxine, Maximilian and Maximo.
Questions about the name Max
What does Max mean?
Max means “greatest (short form of Maximilian)” (German, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Max?
Max was the 180th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,025 babies. Its best year was 2011, when it ranked 96th; the most babies were born in 2009 (3,958). Over the last ten years it has moved down 63 places. More babies were named Max in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Max a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Max in the US.
Where is Max most popular?
In 2021–2025, Max was most common in District of Columbia (6.10 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alaska and North Dakota.