boy's name
Maxime
mak-SEEM
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 247,869
France
#130
2025 births
Maxime is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "greatest," the French form of the Roman cognomen Maximus. It ranks 130th in France and is falling from a peak our records place in 1992, when it was a defining French name.
- Maxime is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1992, when 8,940 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,102 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Maxime over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 3,980 |
| 1910s | 3,625 |
| 1920s | 4,295 |
| 1930s | 2,890 |
| 1940s | 1,800 |
| 1950s | 1,915 |
| 1960s | 1,990 |
| 1970s | 6,980 |
| 1980s | 41,795 |
| 1990s | 78,155 |
| 2000s | 49,730 |
| 2010s | 24,165 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,800 |
What Maxime means
Maxime means greatest, from the Latin maximus, the superlative of magnus. It is absolute rather than comparative — not greater than someone but greatest outright, which is how Roman cognomina used superlatives.
Where Maxime comes from
Maxime is the French form of the Latin Maximus, greatest. The name was a Roman cognomen borne by generals, consuls and several emperors, and it passed into Christian use through a long list of saints — among them Maximus the Confessor, the seventh-century theologian who was mutilated for refusing to accept a compromise on the two wills of Christ, and Maxime of Riez in Provence. In French it is masculine and in Russian the same name is Maksim; the English Maxim and Maximilian are separate developments, Maximilian being a fifteenth-century blend of Maximus and Aemilianus coined for the Holy Roman Emperor. Maxime is unrelated to the English noun maxim, a rule of conduct, which comes from the Latin maxima propositio, the greatest premise.
Maxime in use
Maxime ranks 130th in France with about 535 births in 2025 and is falling in our data from a peak in 1992, when it was one of the defining French boys' names of the decade. Our records carry it from 1900. It is rare outside France — 1,757th in England and Wales, 4,791st in the United States — where Max carries most of the sound's demand instead.
How popular is Maxime?
In 2025, Maxime was given to 535 babies in France, ranking #130 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Maxime is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Maxime
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Maxime also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Maxime over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Maxime
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.
Maxime 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.
Sibling names for Maxime
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Maxime — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Maxime
What does the name Maxime mean?
Maxime means "greatest," from the Latin maximus.
Is Maxime a boy's or a girl's name?
In French it is masculine. The feminine form is Maxime spelled the same way in some records, but Maxine is the usual feminine.
Is Maxime the same as Maximilian?
No. Maximilian was coined in the fifteenth century as a blend of Maximus and Aemilianus.
How popular is Maxime?
130th in France, and falling from a peak in 1992.
How many syllables are in Maxime?
Maxime has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Maxime?
Maxime is usually shortened to Max.
Is Maxime a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Maxime currently ranks #130 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.