NameChart

Max

Boy name

Max has been given to 168,577 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 2009 and currently ranks #180 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /mæks/

Borrowed from German Max, diminutive of Maximilian in the 19th century, later also used as a nickname for Maxwell.

Origin: Latin

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

09901.979k2.969k3.958k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

168,577

Peak year

2009 (3,969 babies)

Rank in 2025

#180 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▼ -40%

Gender split

1% girls / 99% boys

Famous people named Max

Max Born

German-Jewish physicist and mathematician (1882–1970)

Max von Laue

German physicist, Nobel laureate and anti-Nazi (1879–1960)

Max Stirner

German philosopher (1806-1856)

Homer Simpson

Character from The Simpsons franchise

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Max.

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