Boys' name · since 1880
Max
167,458 babies named Max in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2009. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #207 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #180 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 167,458
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
167,458 babies have been named Max since 1880, making it today's #180 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Max has been recorded 167,458 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #180 nationally and more common than 99% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #207 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #180 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 167,458 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Max ranks #207 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #180 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 167,458 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #207 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #180 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 167,458
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Max's 167,458 recorded births place it above 99.54% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Max compares
167,458 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Max's all-time total is 454x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Max | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 167,458 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,958 | 34 | 22,252 |
Max's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Max's full recorded timeline at 1953, 70% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 30% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 52 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2009 peak of 3,958 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Max popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2009)
- 3,958
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Max popularity over time - girls
1,119 total births recorded since 1912 (Max as girls' name)
Max by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (34,141 births, 20% of the file).
2010s was Max's strongest decade.
34,141 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Max births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 765
1880s
765 births
- 1890s 1,112
1890s
1,112 births
- 1900s 1,567
1900s
1,567 births
- 1910s 10,859
1910s
10,859 births
- 1920s
1920s
14,081 births
- 1930s 11,757
1930s
11,757 births
- 1940s 8,526
1940s
8,526 births
- 1950s 7,430
1950s
7,430 births
- 1960s 5,023
1960s
5,023 births
- 1970s 4,231
1970s
4,231 births
- 1980s 8,741
1980s
8,741 births
- 1990s
1990s
18,216 births
- 2000s
2000s
27,368 births
- 2010s
2010s
34,141 births
- 2020s 13,641
2020s
13,641 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 34,141 births (20% of all-time use).
How Max compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Max's total volume
Max by state
Where Max concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 17,788 | 10.6% |
| #2 | New York | | 14,330 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Texas | | 10,327 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 7,843 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Indiana | | 7,244 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 6,968 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 6,332 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 6,281 | 3.8% |
17,788 of 167,458 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Max appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Max? ▼
Where does Max sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Max most popular? ▼
Where is Max most popular? ▼
How long has the name Max been used? ▼
What names are similar to Max? ▼
What to do with Max's data
- Max's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (34,141 total births) through the 2020s (13,641) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Maxs (17,788 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Max
Nearby Names Like Max
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Max
Compare Max side by side: Max vs Maxwell Max vs Maximus Max vs Maximiliano
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Max
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Max: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2009)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Max draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.