Name of the Week: Max

Origin:

Max started life as a short-form of Maximilian, a younger form of the Roman name Maximilianus which meant "belonging to Maximillus". Maximillus itself was a diminutive for Maximus, derived from the Latin maximus "greatest."  Maximilian(us) was borne by a few lesser-known saints in the 3rd and 4th centuries but the name did not become widespread across Europe until Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (1415-1493) chose it for his son in 1459 (who would later become Maximilian I).  According to British historian William Camden (1551-1623), Frederick coined Maximilian independently as a combination of two Roman names—Maximus and Aemilianus—borne by Romans whom he revered. Camden wrote, "Frederic, the third Emperor who, doubting what name to give his son and heire, composed this name of two worthy Romans, whom he most admired, Q. Fabius Maximus, and Scipio Aemilianus, with the hope that his son would imitate their vertues."  It is not unlikely that Frederick III was also aware of St. Maxmillian's church in Bischofshofen, Salzburg in his native Austria which was dedicated to Saint Maximilian of Lorch (d.288).

Usage:

We can be sure that Maximilian's use as a given name in Europe, starting in Germany, dates from the Maximilian I's reign. The name passed through the Hapsburg dynasty, being borne by another Holy Roman Emperor (his great-grandson) and several Electors of Bavaria to name a few.  Maximilian became well-used in Germany. It was less common in Britain, but it was in use from the 16th century. At some point, Max became the standard short form for Maximilian. Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (1662-1726) is known in German as Max Emanuel, for example. Certainly, Max became established as a given name in its own right in German-speaking countries by the 19th century such as with Prussian lieutenant colonel Max Saalmüller (1832–1890) and German theoretical physicist Max Planck (1858-1947). In Britain, Max was rare at the beginning of the 19th century, but this grew notably over the course of the century, eclipsing the use of Maximilian itself. Birth records show that most of the boys registered with the name Max had German surnames and were born in large cities, demonstrating the rising industrial migration at that time.  Records in the England and Wales Birth Index:   Max Maximilian 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 2 births 10 births 40 births 116 births 135 births 310 births 611 births 569 births 379 births 410 births 379 births 374 births 519 births 879 births 30 births 37 births 46 births 68 births 61 births 74 births 69 births 49 births 21 births 27 births 32 births 47 births 97 births 189 births By the time Max was on its sharp rise in the early 1990s, we'd already had three film instalments of the Max Mad franchise (1979-1985) and the cartoon series Fantastic Max from 1988 to 1990. The Mighty Max toys (the boys answer to Polly Pocket) were launched in 1992 and an animated TV series followed in 1993-1994. In 1994, the film Hocus Pocus featured a young hero named Max in the title role.  In short, when Max entered the top 100 at #72 in 1994 in England and Wales, the name would have been heard a lot by parents.  Since 1999, Max has happily ranked in the top 50 in England and Wales, reaching a peak of #18 (3220 births) in 2012.  Since then it has seen a slight decline, but only to #27 with 2165 births in 2017. In Scotland, Max entered the top 100 at #99 in 1998. It reached a peak at #11 in 2012 (the same year as in England and Wales) with 306 births.  In 2018, Max ranked #18 in Scotland with 219 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Max Saalmüller (1832–1890), Prussian lieutenant colonel and German entomologist. * Max Meyer-Olbersleben (1850–1927), German composer and pianist. * Baron Max Wladimir von Beck (1854–1943), Austrian politician. * Baron Max Hussarek von Heinlein (1865–1935), Austrian politician, Prime Minister of Austria in 1918. * Max Born (1882–1970), German physicist, mathematician and Nobel laureate. * Max Fleischer (1883-1972), Polish-American animator and film producer. * Max Ernst (1891-1976) German painter, sculptor, graphic artist and poet. * Max Rudolf (1902-1995), German conductor. * Max Delbrück (1906–1981), German–American biophysicist. Contemporary: * Max Allan Collins (born 1948), American mystery writer. * Max Brown (born 1981), English actor. * Maximilian "Max" Irons (born 1985), English-Irish actor, son of Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack. * Maximilian "Max" Meyer (born 1995), German footballer. * Max Scharping (born 1996), American football player. Literature and Other Media: * Max Rockatansky, the main character in the Mad Max films. * Max Detweiler "Uncle Max", a character from the film The Sound of Music (1965). * Max Dennison, the hero in the film Hocus Pocus. * Max, the main character in the book Where the Wild Things Are. * Max Young, the main character in the animated series Fantastic Max. * Max Smart, a character in the TV series Get Smart. * Max Klinger, a character in the TV series M*A*S*H. * Maximilian "Max" Goof, the son of the Disney character Goofy. * Max, a character in the film The Secret Life of Pets. * Max Branning, a character in the TV soap EastEnders (2006-). * Max, a dump truck in the TV series Thomas & Friends.

Variants:

Maks (Russian, Ukrainian), Macs (Welsh)

Pronunciation:

MAKS [key]

Possible longer forms:

Macsen, Magnus, Maxim, Maximus, Maximilian, Maxwell, Maxen, Maxence, Maxfield, Maxton

Sibling Names:

Ava     Isla      Daisy     Freya     Ruby     Lucy Leo     Noah     Oscar     Lucas     Theo     Toby

Name Lists:

Lively Lads    Ripe Renovations   Short and Sweet

 

If you like Max you may also like:   Freddie, Zack, Rhys, Milo, Owen, Evan, Archie, Rex, Elliott, Hugo

Thanks to Joan for requesting this name.