Max is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Max means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Max across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Max has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Max is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “greatest”. a short form of Maximilian or Maxwell.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 168,577 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 59,238 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 5,238 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 1,492 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 3,871 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 4,762 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Max per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2009 (3,969/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2012 (3,220/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2012 (306/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2012 (232/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2011 (94/yr).
Max has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2009, when it ranked #180 nationally (given to 7,198 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
Maxie · Maxx · Maxey · Maxi · Maks · Mox · Moxi
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