boy's name
Maverick
MAV-rik
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 79,833
the United States
#49
2025 births
Maverick is a boy's name taken from an English surname, and it is one of the few names to become an ordinary English word within living memory of its source. Samuel Maverick, a nineteenth-century Texas rancher, left his cattle unbranded, and unbranded cattle became known as mavericks.
- Maverick is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 7,147 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 557 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1957.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Maverick over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 182 |
| 1960s | 160 |
| 1970s | 77 |
| 1980s | 239 |
| 1990s | 1,351 |
| 2000s | 3,325 |
| 2010s | 26,230 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 39,811 |
What Maverick means
Maverick means an independent-minded person who avoids conformity — a sense the word acquired from a specific man rather than from any older root. It began as a term for unbranded livestock and shifted to describe people who refuse to fall in line.
Where Maverick comes from
Maverick is a rare case of a documented word origin. Samuel Augustus Maverick was a Texas rancher and politician who, according to contemporary accounts, declined to brand his cattle. Neighboring ranchers began calling any unbranded animal a maverick, and the term entered general American English by the 1860s. From cattle it transferred to people, coming to mean someone who resists the herd — a politician who breaks with a party, an independent thinker. The surname itself is of English origin, from a place name or the Middle English maverick meaning a small farmer. Its use as a first name is recent and strongly American, boosted considerably by the 1986 film Top Gun.
Maverick in use
Maverick is one of the few English words that can be traced to a single named individual who was still alive when it entered use.
How popular is Maverick?
In 2025, Maverick was given to 5,954 babies in the United States, ranking #49 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Maverick is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Maverick
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Maverick also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Maverick over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Maverick
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Maverick in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Maveryck
Sibling names for Maverick
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Maverick — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Maverick
What does the name Maverick mean?
Maverick means an independent person who avoids conformity, from a term originally used for unbranded cattle.
Where does the word maverick come from?
From Samuel Maverick, a Texas rancher who left his cattle unbranded; unbranded animals became known as mavericks.
Is Maverick a modern name?
As a given name, yes — its use is recent and largely American.
How popular is the name Maverick?
In 2025, Maverick was given to 5,954 babies in the United States, ranking #49 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Maverick a girl's or a boy's name?
Maverick is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Maverick?
Maverick has 3 syllables.
When was Maverick most popular?
Maverick peaked in 2022, when 7,147 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Maverick?
Maverick is usually shortened to Mav, Ricky and Rick.
Is Maverick a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Maverick currently ranks #32 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.