Maxwell
Maxwell was the 189th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,924 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 106th; the most babies were born in 2014 (3,739). Over the last ten years it has moved down 76 places. More babies were named Maxwell in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Mack's spring (place name) · Scottish, Old English
Say it MAKS-wel /ˈmækswɛl/
- Rank in 2025
- #189 boys, down 43 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,924boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20143,739 babies
- Total since 1880
- 109,467babies recorded
What does the name Maxwell mean?
Maxwell is a Scottish surname taken from a place on the River Tweed near Melrose. Wiktionary and Wikipedia both explain it as Mackeswell, 'Mack's well or spring', from a personal name Mack (Maccus) and Old English welle, 'spring, well'; Wikipedia says the place is first recorded in 1144. As a first name it is a transferred surname, and Max is its usual short form.
Mack (Old Norse/Gaelic, “personal name (Maccus)”)wella (Old English, “spring, well”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Max, Maxwel.
See also: Scottish names, names that mean water, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Maxwell', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Maxwell (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Maxwell
The usual nicknames for Maxwell are Max. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Maxwell in the last five years, 106 were named Max, against 81 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max · also for Massimo, Maximus, 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 Maxwells go by each one.
Maxwell popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 735 since 1917, 15 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #189 | 1,924 |
| 2020 | #146 | 2,513 |
| 2010 | #133 | 3,015 |
| 2000 | #113 | 3,364 |
| 1990 | #189 | 1,624 |
| 1980 | #635 | 189 |
| 1970 | #954 | 71 |
| 1960 | #1,004 | 59 |
| 1950 | #867 | 63 |
| 1940 | #816 | 59 |
| 1930 | #624 | 98 |
| 1920 | #569 | 120 |
| 1910 | #429 | 41 |
| 1900 | #503 | 22 |
| 1890 | #502 | 15 |
| 1880 | #668 | 9 |
How popular is Maxwell, counting every spelling?
Maxwell is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #205 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #189 for Maxwell on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,924 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxwell | 1,924 | #189 | 10,503 |
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 Maxwell?
1,924 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Maxwell (0.53 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Maxwell 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 Maxwell.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Maxwell?
About 102,600 people born in the US named Maxwell are alive today, with a median age of 19; half are between 11 and 27. That makes Maxwell 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.
Maxwell by state
How common Maxwell was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.9×), New Hampshire (3.1×), Vermont (2.9×), Rhode Island (2.9×), Maine (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Hawaii, West Virginia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Maxwell: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Maxwell, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Maxwell · Sibling names for Maxwell
Questions about the name Maxwell
What does Maxwell mean?
Maxwell means “Mack's spring (place name)” (Scottish, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Maxwell?
Maxwell was the 189th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,924 babies. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked 106th; the most babies were born in 2014 (3,739). Over the last ten years it has moved down 76 places. More babies were named Maxwell in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Maxwell a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Maxwell in the US.
Where is Maxwell most popular?
In 2021–2025, Maxwell was most common in District of Columbia (4.74 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and Vermont.