Maximus
Maximus was the 276th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,249 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 187th; the most babies were born in 2014 (2,137). Over the last ten years it has moved down 79 places. More babies were named Maximus in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning greatest · Latin
Say it MAK-sih-mus /ˈmæksɪməs/
- Rank in 2025
- #276 boys, down 25 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,249boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20142,137 babies
- Total since 1880
- 34,679babies recorded
What does the name Maximus mean?
Maximus is a Latin word meaning "greatest", the superlative of magnus, "great". It was used as a Roman family name and was borne by several early saints and by a 4th-century usurper emperor; DMNES lists many of them under the related form Maxim. The modern English use draws on the Latin directly, and its recent rise followed the hero Maximus in the film Gladiator (2000).
maximus (Latin, “greatest, largest”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Max, Maxim, Maximo, Maximilian.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Maximus', 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
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'maximus', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Maximus
The usual nicknames for Maximus are Max. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Maximus in the last five years, 188 were named Max, against 313 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max · also for Massimo, Maxwell, Maximiliano | Traditional | #180 | 11,155 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Maximuss go by each one.
Maximus popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 17 since 2012.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #276 | 1,249 |
| 2020 | #251 | 1,407 |
| 2010 | #234 | 1,489 |
| 2000 | #851 | 188 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Maximus, counting every spelling?
Maximus is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #284 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #276 for Maximus on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,257 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximus | 1,249 | #276 | 5,926 |
| Maxximus | 8 | #9,421 | 55 |
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 Maximus?
1,249 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Maximus (0.35 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Maximus 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Maximus.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Maximus?
About 34,300 people born in the US named Maximus are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 7 and 16. That makes Maximus 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.
Maximus by state
How common Maximus was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (2.4×), New Hampshire (2.2×), Nevada (2.0×), North Dakota (1.9×), Connecticut (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, South Dakota, Alabama.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Maximus: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Maximus, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Maximus · Sibling names for Maximus
Questions about the name Maximus
What does Maximus mean?
Maximus means “greatest” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Maximus?
Maximus was the 276th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,249 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 187th; the most babies were born in 2014 (2,137). Over the last ten years it has moved down 79 places. More babies were named Maximus in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Maximus a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Maximus in the US.
Where is Maximus most popular?
In 2021–2025, Maximus was most common in Hawaii (1.61 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and Alaska.