Given name & surname
Max
“the greatest”·“from Mack's spring”
In German use, Max is a diminutive of Maximilian. One Latin interpretation is “the greatest.” In English use, Max is a nickname for Maxwell. One English interpretation is “from Mack's spring.”
Original LatinMaximus
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Latin use, Max carries the interpretation “the greatest.” In German use, Max is a diminutive of Maximilian. One Latin interpretation is “the greatest.” In English use, Max is a nickname for Maxwell. One English interpretation is “from Mack's spring.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
Max is used as a form of Maximilian.
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
Max through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 168,577
- 167,458 boys · 1,119 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 3,969 babies
- 2025
- 2,066
- #180 for boys · #3,687 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,025 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 180 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 24.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,958 in 2009. It also appeared in 41 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (301). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 133,914 as a first name in 2020; 2,519 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.
Max’s family of names
In English usage, Max is a diminutive of Maxwell. In English usage, Max has a feminine form in Maxine. Max is a form of Maximilian.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Max has relatives in 7 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
Latinwhere Max comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 23
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 13
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Max
- Max PlanckGerman theoretical physicist (1858–1947)
- Max WeberGerman sociologist, philosopher, and political economist (1864–1920)
- Max BornGerman-Jewish physicist and mathematician (1882–1970)
- Max VerstappenDutch and Belgian racing driverborn 1997
- Max StirnerGerman philosopher (1806–1856)
- Max EuweDutch chess player and mathematician1901–1981
- Max FrischSwiss playwrighter and novelist (1911–1991)
- Max ErnstGerman artist (1891–1976)
- Max SchelerGerman philosopher (1874-1928)
Characters named Max: Max Rockatansky (protagonist of the Mad Max films franchise), Stierlitz (fictional spy in Yulian Semyonov's 'Seventeen Moments of Spring'), Max Payne (video game character), Max Zorin (fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Max, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Major
“the greater”
99% boys · 1% girls
Adrian
“man from Hadria” · “a man from Hadria”
99% boys · 1% girls
Cruz
“of the cross”
98% boys · 2% girls
Titus
“of the giants” · “a great defender”
>99% boys
Clark
“a cleric; a clerk”
98% boys · 2% girls
Axel
“source of life; small oak” · “axe”
>99% boys
Dexter
“a right-handed man; one who is skillful”
>99% boys
Atticus
“a man from Athens”
99% boys · 1% girls