Given name & surname
Maksim
“the greatest”
Maksim is a variant of Maximilian. One Latin interpretation is “the greatest.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Maksim is a variant of Maximilian. One Latin interpretation is “the greatest.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Maksim is a variant of Maximilian. An origin associated with Maximilian is Latin.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1993. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Maksim through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,678
- 2,678 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2011
- 204 babies
- 2025
- 55
- #2,466 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −35%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 55 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,466 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 35.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 204 in 2011. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,168 as a first name in 2020; 155 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.
Maksim’s family of names
Maksim has a related form in Maximilian. In Spanish usage, Maksim has a conventional equivalent in the Russian form Максим. In Macedonian usage, Maksim is a Roman-alphabet rendering of Максим.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Maksim has relatives in 4 languages.
2 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
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 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Maksim
- Maxim LitvinovSoviet diplomat and foreign minister (1876–1951)
- Max MirnyiBelarusian tennis playerborn 1977
- Maksim BahdanovichBelarusian writer (1891–1917)
- Maxim GalkinRussian television personality, comedianborn 1976
- Maksym RylskyUkrainian poet (1895–1964)
- Maksim ShatskikhUzbekistani footballerborn 1978
- Maxim VengerovRussian violinist, violist, and conductorborn 1974
- Maksim SurayevRussian cosmonaut and politicianborn 1972
- Maximus the GreekGreek monk and scholar1475–1556
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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