boys' name ★ peaked 2014

Maxwell

Meaning Mack Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #189 Trend ↓ Falling 23%

From an earlier form Mackeswell, meaning "Mack's well or spring", from Old English welle (“well”).

Rank 2025
#189
among boys · ↓7 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,939
named Maxwell · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 888
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2014
3,773 babies
All-time total
109,467
#295 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Maxwell popularity over time

109,467 babies have been named Maxwell 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 – 72 72 7 – #610
1890s – 131 131 13 +82% #419
1900s – 230 230 23 +76% #401
1910s 8 1,210 1,218 122 +430% #366
1920s – 1,158 1,158 116 -5% #519
1930s – 737 737 74 -36% #624
1940s – 641 641 64 -13% #724
1950s – 723 723 72 +13% #768
1960s – 632 632 63 -13% #864
1970s – 967 967 97 +53% #699
1980s 24 5,808 5,832 583 +503% #205
1990s 46 20,909 20,955 2,096 +259% #106
2000s 59 30,049 30,108 3,011 +44% #113
2010s 356 32,449 32,805 3,281 +9% #107
2020s (to 2025) 242 13,016 13,258 2,210 -33% #146

Where Maxwell 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 1,841 1.08 #196
2027 1,774 1.04 #199
2028 1,719 1.01 #206
2029 1,673 0.98 #207
2030 1,635 0.96 #219

Where Maxwell is most popular

Boys named Maxwell per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.22 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

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 Maxwell 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 70 4.74 +290%
New Hampshire 83 3.74 +207%
Vermont 22 3.50 +188%
Rhode Island 57 3.50 +188%
Maine 67 3.45 +184%
Massachusetts 381 2.77 +128%
Utah 255 2.67 +120%
Wisconsin 298 2.52 +107%
Minnesota 292 2.38 +96%
Connecticut 153 2.26 +86%
Michigan 424 2.07 +70%
Ohio 526 1.98 +63%
Delaware 29 1.91 +57%
Oregon 143 1.88 +55%
Alaska 22 1.85 +52%
Pennsylvania 488 1.84 +51%
Washington 299 1.83 +50%
Maryland 216 1.81 +49%
Iowa 124 1.80 +48%
Idaho 73 1.78 +47%
Nebraska 75 1.72 +42%
Illinois 438 1.71 +41%
Colorado 217 1.68 +38%
Indiana 268 1.67 +37%
Missouri 222 1.60 +32%
Virginia 295 1.55 +28%
New York 667 1.54 +27%
Kansas 104 1.52 +25%
Kentucky 150 1.49 +23%
New Jersey 276 1.37 +13%
North Carolina 317 1.24 ≈ national
Nevada 69 1.21 ≈ national
South Dakota 22 1.18 ≈ national
California 1,077 1.18 ≈ national
Tennessee 197 1.09 -10%
Georgia 268 1.06 -13%
Arizona 171 1.05 -14%
Alabama 113 1.03 -15%
Oklahoma 89 1.01 -17%
Florida 456 0.963 -21%
Arkansas 59 0.932 -23%
South Carolina 94 0.910 -25%
Louisiana 92 0.899 -26%
Wyoming 5 0.864 -29%
North Dakota 14 0.820 -33%
Montana 14 0.794 -35%
Texas 575 0.653 -46%
New Mexico 21 0.637 -48%
West Virginia 16 0.490 -60%
Hawaii 5 0.322 -74%
Mississippi 17 0.299 -75%

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 Maxwell

Maxwell is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #189 in 2025 with 1,924 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 109,467 American babies have been named Maxwell. Its peak came in 2014, when 3,773 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Maxwell stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Maxwell?

The median living Maxwell is about 18 years old; half are between 10 and 26. An estimated 104 thousand people named Maxwell are alive in the United States today.

median 18 020406080100

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

Maxwell 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 15 #7,375 1,924 #189
2024 28 #4,851 2,024 #182
2023 44 #3,559 1,992 #182
2022 52 #3,149 2,183 #173
2021 49 #3,283 2,380 #162
2020 54 #2,997 2,513 #146
2019 56 #2,951 2,637 #147
2018 61 #2,803 2,907 #134
2017 66 #2,650 3,081 #133
2016 60 #2,851 3,585 #111
2015 40 #3,824 3,553 #113
2014 34 #4,329 3,739 #107
2013 26 #5,253 3,643 #108
2012 8 #13,023 3,233 #114
2011 – – 3,056 #133
2010 5 #18,874 3,015 #133
2009 – – 3,080 #132
2008 5 #19,464 3,058 #134
2007 6 #16,857 2,713 #153
2006 5 #19,048 2,792 #149
2005 – – 2,810 #140
2004 15 #7,693 2,927 #136
2003 8 #12,008 3,086 #132
2002 6 #14,782 3,036 #129
2001 7 #12,965 3,183 #124
2000 7 #12,657 3,364 #113
1995 5 #14,908 1,838 #178
1990 7 #10,953 1,624 #189
1985 – – 467 #383
1980 – – 189 #635
1975 – – 102 #826
1970 – – 71 #954
1965 – – 65 #923
1960 – – 59 #1,004
1955 – – 90 #768
1950 – – 63 #867
1945 – – 52 #874
1940 – – 59 #816
1935 – – 75 #700
1930 – – 98 #624
1925 – – 113 #593
1920 – – 120 #569
1915 – – 176 #404
1910 – – 41 #429
1905 – – 23 #473
1900 – – 22 #503
1895 – – 13 #594
1890 – – 15 #502
1885 – – 8 #742
1880 – – 9 #668

Famous people named Maxwell

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

  1. 1 Maxwell Maxwell American R&B singer (born 1973) Contemporary
  2. 2 Maxwell D. Taylor Maxwell D. Taylor United States Army general (1901–1987) Contemporary
  3. 3 Maxwell Anderson Maxwell Anderson American playwright and writer (1888–1959) 19th century
  4. 4 Maxwell Holt Maxwell Holt American volleyball player (born 1987) Contemporary
  5. 5 Maxwell T. Masters Maxwell T. Masters English botanist and taxonomist (1833–1907) 19th century
  6. 6 Maxwell Topics referred to by the same term b. 1981 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Maxwell?

The median living Maxwell is about 18 years old. Half of all living Maxwells are between 10 and 26 years old.

How many people named Maxwell are alive today?

An estimated 104 thousand people named Maxwell are alive in the United States, based on 109,467 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Maxwell mean?

From an earlier form Mackeswell, meaning "Mack's well or spring", from Old English welle (“well”).

How popular is the name Maxwell in 2025?

Maxwell ranked #189 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,924 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Maxwell?

109,467 babies have been named Maxwell in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Maxwell most popular?

Maxwell peaked in 2014, when 3,773 newborns received the name.

Is Maxwell a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Maxwell rising or falling?

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

Will Maxwell become more popular?

Maxwell is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,635 boys named Maxwell in 2030, which would rank around #219. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Maxwell?

Well-known people named Maxwell include Maxwell (musician), Maxwell D. Taylor (politician), Maxwell Anderson (writer).

Names like Maxwell

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

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