Given name & surname · also Old French
Mack
“the son of”·“the greatest”
Mack is a variant of Mac. One interpretation is “the son of.” In English use, Mack is a diminutive of Max. In Latin use, Max carries the interpretation “the greatest.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Mack is a variant of Mac. One interpretation is “the son of.” In English use, Mack is a diminutive of Max. In Latin use, Max carries the interpretation “the greatest.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Mack comes from Old French, and ultimately from Dutch.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In English usage, Mack is a diminutive of Max.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mack through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 42,900
- 42,720 boys · 180 girls
- Most popular year
- 1942
- 847 babies
- 2025
- 668
- #463 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +35%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 668 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 463 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 35.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 840 in 1942. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (46). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 16,474 as a first name in 2020; 69,776 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Mack’s family of names
In English usage, Mack is a diminutive of Max. Mack has a related form in Mac. In German usage, Mack as a surname has a related form in Mark.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mack
- Mack SennettCanadian-American actor, producer and director (1880–1960)
- Mack HortonAustralian freestyle swimmerborn 1996
- Mack SwainAmerican actor, vaudevillian (1876–1935)
- Mack MattinglyAmerican politicianborn 1931
- Mack ReynoldsAmerican science fiction writer (1917–1983)
- Mack Hellingsracecar driver1915–1951
- Mack DavidAmerican lyricist and songwriter (1912-1993)
- Mack CalvinAmerican basketball player and coachborn 1947
- Mack McLartyAmerican politicianborn 1946
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Mack, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Marshall
“shoeing smith” · “a caretaker of horses”
>99% boys
Gerald
“one who rules with the spear”
>99% boys
Roy
“a red-haired man” · “a king”
>99% boys
Richard
“a powerful ruler”
>99% boys
Truman
“one who is loyal”
>99% boys
Charles
“charles the Great” · “one who is manly and strong”
>99% boys
Frederick
“a peaceful ruler”
>99% boys
Wendell
“one who travels; a wanderer”
99% boys · 1% girls