Max

“Variant of Maximilian — Greatest” — Latin (via German Maximilian) origin

Boy's name · #180 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Max was #99 in 1914, slipped to #410 by 1969, and has climbed back to #180 today. About 167,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Max's short forms are Mac and Maxie.

Around the world: #15 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025) · #20 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #25 in Scotland (2025) · #29 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #30 in Australia (NSW) (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 50 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Maxes

Max Planck — German theoretical physicist (1858–1947)
Max Weber — German sociologist, philosopher, and political economist (1864–1920)
Max Born — German-Jewish physicist and mathematician (1882–1970)
Max Verstappen — Dutch and Belgian racing driver
Max von Laue — German physicist, Nobel laureate and anti-Nazi (1879–1960)

In stories & tradition

Max (Homer Simpson) — The Simpsons
Max (Magneto) — Uncanny X-Men · The Fantastic Four
Max (Electro) — The Amazing Spider-Man · Spider-Man 2: Enter: Electro

What Maxes become

Among 9,424 notable people named Max:

Business leaders appear 2.06× more often than among typical names — e.g. Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Anglo-Canadian business tycoon, politician, and writer (1879-1964).

Similar names: Maximilian · Emmett · Maxwell · Emilio · Marco · Maximus

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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