Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Max

Max is the short form of Maximus, Maximo, Maxim, Maximilian or Maxwell. It is also sometimes used as a pet form of the female name Maxine. Almost all Max names are derived from the Latin “Maximus” which means ‘greatest’ and was mainly used as the cognomen (the third name) for aristocratic old Roman families. Max has long been an independently given name in its own right for well over a century among English-speaking nations and elsewhere. Today, the name Max is quite common throughout the British Isles as well as Australia, Canada and the United States. Max is also a favorite among some of the Scandinavian countries, in particularly the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

All About the Baby Name – Max

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME MAX

The Number 2 personality in numerology is all about cooperation and balance. It's the number of diplomats and mediators. They are not leaders, but strive rather for harmony in partnerships. These are the peacemakers. Equality and fairness are important in their dealings, and they are willing to share power and responsibility to achieve a harmonious outcome. This personality is calm and patient, waiting for things to evolve instead of pushing aggressively for an outcome. They are good-natured and easy-going, and care deeply on an emotional and spiritual plane. Twos appreciate beauty and nature and are intent on making the world a better place.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME MAX

Max has had a constant presence on the U.S. popularity charts since the government began tracking naming trends in 1880. In fact, today, the simple name “Max” is the most common of all the Max names (followed by Maxwell, Maximus and Maximilian). It’s not surprising that American parents prefer the uncomplicated Max to his more fanciful brothers. There’s no two ways about it – Max is a cute name. While Max has always enjoyed consistent usage in the United States, it is experiencing the same levels of success today that it enjoyed in the early 1900s. There are a couple of caveats to this name. One, it’s sometimes considered overused; and two, it’s a common name for dogs (like Bailey, Daisy, Riley and Marley, for instance). Max is the name of the Grinch’s dog in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and it’s also the name of George Clooney’s pet pig! Regardless, Max is a longtime favorite in America for little boys. Indeed, it’s among the “greatest” of names!

Quick Facts

ON MAX

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Latin

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

1

RANKING POPULARITY:

111

PRONUNCIATION:

MAHKS

SIMPLE MEANING:

Greatest

Characteristics

OF MAX

Cooperative

Considerate

Compassionate

Nurturing

Sensitive

Patient

Loving

Kind

Gracious

Balanced

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Max

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME MAX

Max is the little “bad boy” of Maurice Sendak’s classic 1963 children’s story, which he also illustrated, Where the Wild Things Are. Young Max, being punished for his mischief, is sent to bed without dinner. Once in his room, aided by his extravagant imagination, Max is taken on a wild journey to where the wild things are – right there in his room. And Max is one of the wildest of them all! So he becomes King of the Wild Things. Nonetheless, our young hero soon finds himself missing home and family, and he makes his way back to the comforts of the hearth, including a good, hot supper. There is room in our world for both the dark and the light, but at the end of the day, there’s no place like home, as a good witch once said to a little girl from Kansas.

Max Demian is a major character of the book “Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair’s Youth”, written by Hermann Hesse and first published in 1919. Young Emil struggles with the opposing forces of good and evil as he grows from young innocence to mature adulthood, and Max, his charismatic older friend, is there to spur him on, pointing up the different points of view available in any worldly experience and challenging Emil to find his “world of light” in unlikely places. Max guides Emil to the realization of the power of individualism in a world of unquestioning conformity. All of this plays out on the eve of World War I, after which the old world dies, and things will never be the same again. Max has understood this; so, too, will Emil.

Max is the husband in Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier’s extremely popular 1938 novel. It was later made into an equally popular Hitchcock film, with Laurence Olivier, in 1940. Max is a handsome, rich and sophisticated English landowner and widower, who marries the second Mrs. De Winter after a whirlwind courtship in Europe. She arrives at her new estate with her new husband only to find herself the object of scorn and contempt from Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, who revered the late Rebecca, the first Mrs. De Winter. Max harbors secrets he does not divulge to our young heroine, who becomes increasingly distressed and depressed over her inability to live up to the glorious reputation of the first Mrs. Max. All of this has dire consequences, naturally, and the family skeletons are finally revealed just short of absolute disaster for all. Great fun, of its time, and even in today’s feminist world, one might just find the brooding Max de Winter as fascinating as did his meek little bride.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME MAX

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Max


Popular Songs

ON MAX

Megan Is My Friend to The Max
a song by Reggie And The Full Effect

Famous People

NAMED MAX

Max von Sydow (Swedish actor)
Max Bentley (hockey player)
Max Born (Nobel Prize Winner, physics)
Max Carey (baseball player)
Max Delbrück (Nobel Prize Winner, medicine)
Max Von Laue (Nobel Prize Winner, physics)
Max Ferdinand Perutz (Nobel Prize Winner, chemistry)
Max Planck (Nobel Prize Winner, physics)
Max Theiler (Nobel Prize Winner, medicine 1951)
Max Weber (German sociologist)
Max Fleischer (cartoonist)
Max Baer (boxer)
Max Cavalera (Brazilian singer/guitarist)
Max Chilton (racecar driver)

Children of Famous People

NAMED MAX

Charlie Sheen; Christina Aguilera;

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME MAX

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Max