boys' name ★ peaked 2009

Max

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #180 Trend ↓ Falling 19%

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

Rank 2025
#180
among boys · ↓5 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,066
named Max · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 843
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2009
3,969 babies
All-time total
168,577
#207 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Max popularity over time

168,577 babies have been named Max since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 765 765 77 – #132
1890s – 1,112 1,112 111 +45% #120
1900s – 1,567 1,567 157 +41% #119
1910s 37 10,859 10,896 1,090 +595% #99
1920s 113 14,081 14,194 1,419 +30% #112
1930s 66 11,757 11,823 1,182 -17% #126
1940s 23 8,526 8,549 855 -28% #165
1950s 35 7,430 7,465 747 -13% #238
1960s 12 5,023 5,035 504 -33% #297
1970s 11 4,231 4,242 424 -16% #368
1980s 55 8,741 8,796 880 +107% #185
1990s 75 18,216 18,291 1,829 +108% #159
2000s 90 27,368 27,458 2,746 +50% #104
2010s 267 34,141 34,408 3,441 +25% #96
2020s (to 2025) 335 13,641 13,976 2,329 -32% #147

Where Max is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 1,955 1.14 #187
2027 1,898 1.11 #193
2028 1,850 1.08 #195
2029 1,811 1.06 #197
2030 1,778 1.04 #199

Where Max is most popular

Boys named Max per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.29 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Alaska, and North Dakota.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Max born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 90 6.10 +372%
Alaska 32 2.69 +108%
North Dakota 45 2.64 +104%
Massachusetts 357 2.60 +101%
Utah 243 2.55 +97%
Rhode Island 41 2.51 +95%
Connecticut 168 2.48 +92%
Montana 41 2.32 +80%
Hawaii 35 2.25 +74%
New Jersey 446 2.22 +72%
New Hampshire 49 2.21 +71%
Maine 40 2.06 +60%
New York 892 2.06 +60%
Nebraska 89 2.05 +58%
Idaho 77 1.88 +46%
Washington 307 1.88 +45%
Colorado 242 1.87 +45%
Illinois 453 1.77 +37%
Minnesota 216 1.76 +36%
South Dakota 32 1.72 +33%
Oregon 130 1.71 +33%
Iowa 118 1.71 +33%
California 1,550 1.70 +31%
Pennsylvania 443 1.67 +29%
Wisconsin 192 1.62 +25%
New Mexico 50 1.52 +17%
Florida 685 1.45 +12%
Maryland 171 1.43 +11%
Kansas 97 1.41 +9%
Missouri 192 1.39 +7%
Arizona 216 1.32 ≈ national
Nevada 75 1.32 ≈ national
Michigan 268 1.31 ≈ national
Oklahoma 113 1.28 ≈ national
Indiana 200 1.25 ≈ national
Virginia 236 1.24 ≈ national
Arkansas 78 1.23 -5%
Ohio 318 1.20 -7%
Louisiana 113 1.10 -14%
North Carolina 279 1.09 -15%
Tennessee 190 1.05 -19%
Kentucky 104 1.04 -20%
Georgia 258 1.02 -21%
Texas 874 0.992 -23%
Delaware 15 0.989 -23%
Vermont 6 0.955 -26%
Wyoming 5 0.864 -33%
South Carolina 88 0.852 -34%
Alabama 93 0.851 -34%
West Virginia 23 0.704 -45%
Mississippi 40 0.704 -45%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Max

Max is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #180 in 2025 with 2,025 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 168,577 American babies have been named Max. Its peak came in 2009, when 3,969 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Max stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Max?

The median living Max is about 19 years old; half are between 11 and 34. An estimated 121 thousand people named Max are alive in the United States today.

median 19 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Max year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 41 #3,687 2,025 #180
2024 45 #3,492 2,126 #175
2023 73 #2,460 2,205 #163
2022 52 #3,148 2,389 #157
2021 53 #3,097 2,410 #160
2020 71 #2,462 2,486 #147
2019 28 #4,859 2,755 #137
2018 56 #2,953 2,878 #136
2017 42 #3,677 3,145 #128
2016 54 #3,086 3,423 #118
2015 23 #5,777 3,422 #117
2014 14 #8,352 3,497 #112
2013 19 #6,638 3,520 #111
2012 15 #8,066 3,697 #105
2011 8 #12,957 3,956 #96
2010 8 #13,058 3,848 #98
2009 11 #10,421 3,958 #104
2008 7 #14,848 3,372 #126
2007 9 #12,318 2,882 #141
2006 12 #9,699 2,643 #160
2005 7 #13,971 2,494 #165
2004 13 #8,561 2,481 #164
2003 5 #17,429 2,460 #162
2002 9 #10,789 2,319 #166
2001 9 #10,706 2,404 #159
2000 8 #11,423 2,355 #165
1995 12 #7,361 1,565 #195
1990 – – 1,791 #171
1985 8 #8,029 762 #274
1980 – – 486 #362
1975 – – 415 #382
1970 – – 486 #370
1965 5 #7,171 422 #377
1960 – – 669 #297
1955 – – 724 #256
1950 – – 755 #240
1945 7 #3,905 803 #189
1940 – – 952 #165
1935 10 #2,864 1,283 #128
1930 8 #3,553 1,181 #143
1925 10 #3,284 1,385 #128
1920 10 #3,268 1,561 #112
1915 – – 1,434 #102
1910 – – 277 #115
1905 – – 140 #149
1900 – – 141 #149
1895 – – 95 #165
1890 – – 99 #144
1885 – – 71 #185
1880 – – 52 #230

Famous people named Max

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Max von Sydow Max von Sydow Swedish and French actor (1929–2020) Contemporary
  2. 2 Max Weber Max Weber German social scientist (1864–1920) 19th century
  3. 3 Max Planck Max Planck German physicist (1858–1947) 19th century
  4. 4 Max Born Max Born German–British physicist (1882–1970) 19th century
  5. 5 Max Ernst Max Ernst German artist (1891–1976) 19th century
  6. 6 Max Schmeling Max Schmeling German boxer (1905–2005) Contemporary
  7. 7 Max Stirner Max Stirner German philosopher (1806–1856) 19th century
  8. 8 Max Müller Max Müller British philologist (1823–1900) 19th century
  9. 9 Max Horkheimer Max Horkheimer German philosopher and sociologist (1895–1973) 19th century
  10. 10 Max Steiner Max Steiner Austrian-born American composer (1888–1971) 19th century
  11. 11 Max Brod Max Brod Czech-Israeli author, composer, and journalist (1884–1968) 19th century
  12. 12 Max Bruch Max Bruch German composer (1838–1920) 19th century
  13. 13 Max Beckmann Max Beckmann German painter (1884–1950) 19th century
  14. 14 Max Linder Actor, France 1883–1925 · 19th century
  15. 15 Max Nordau Max Nordau Zionist leader, physician, author, and social critic (1849–1923) 19th century
  16. 16 Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt Austrian-born theatre and film director (1873–1943) 19th century
  17. 17 Max Ophüls Max Ophüls German-French film director (1902–1957) Contemporary
  18. 18 Max Euwe Max Euwe Dutch chess grandmaster (1901–1981) Contemporary
  19. 19 Max Scheler Max Scheler German philosopher (1874–1928) 19th century
  20. 20 Max Frisch Max Frisch Swiss playwrighter and novelist (1911–1991) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Max, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Max?

The median living Max is about 19 years old. Half of all living Maxs are between 11 and 34 years old.

How many people named Max are alive today?

An estimated 121 thousand people named Max are alive in the United States, based on 168,577 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Max mean?

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

How popular is the name Max in 2025?

Max ranked #180 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,025 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Max?

168,577 babies have been named Max in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Max most popular?

Max peaked in 2009, when 3,969 newborns received the name.

Is Max a boy or girl name?

Max is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Max rising or falling?

Max is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Max become more popular?

Max is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,778 boys named Max in 2030, which would rank around #199. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Max?

Well-known people named Max include Max von Sydow (actor), Max Weber (sociologist), Max Planck (physicist).

Names like Max

Names that sound and feel close to Max: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Max with similar names → More names starting with M →