Max

Meaning: Greatest
Origin: German (from Latin (via German Maximilian)) — Variant of Maximilian

Nicknames: Mac, Maxie

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

Popularity over time

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.

Across the states

See where Max is more common.

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

Around the world

See how Max ranks in other countries and regions.

#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) · #35 in New Zealand (2025) · #40 in Netherlands (2025) · #41 in Ireland (2025) · #47 in Finland (Finnish-sp.) (2025) · #48 in England & Wales (2025) · #51 in Austria (2025) · #59 in Czechia (2025) and 10 more.

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 (Magneto) — The Fantastic Four (TV series)
Max (Electro) — Spider-Man 2: Enter: Electro (video game)
Max Rockatansky — Mad Max (film)

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).

Spellings & nicknames

About 410 boys a year are given Mac as their full name.

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

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

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