girl's name
Maxine
mak-SEEN
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 123,736
the United States
#496
2025 births
Maxine is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "greatest," a feminine form of Maximus. It ranks 118th in France and 496th in the United States, and it is reviving from a peak our records place in 1924.
- Maxine is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1924, when 3,672 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 5,553 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1884.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Maxine over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 21 |
| 1890s | 173 |
| 1900s | 1,409 |
| 1910s | 17,854 |
| 1920s | 33,872 |
| 1930s | 20,596 |
| 1940s | 16,131 |
| 1950s | 9,755 |
| 1960s | 4,309 |
| 1970s | 1,541 |
| 1980s | 1,357 |
| 1990s | 1,885 |
| 2000s | 1,570 |
| 2010s | 2,470 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,046 |
What Maxine means
Maxine means greatest, from the Latin maximus, the superlative of magnus. It is an absolute rather than a comparison — not greater than others but greatest outright, which is how Roman cognomina used it.
Where Maxine comes from
Maxine is a feminine form of Maximus, greatest, built with the French -ine ending in the nineteenth century rather than inherited from Latin directly. Maximus was a Roman cognomen carried by generals and emperors, and its Christian life runs through several saints, including Maximus the Confessor, the seventh-century theologian whose tongue and right hand were cut off for refusing to accept a compromise on the nature of Christ's will. Maxine's own popularity is a twentieth-century, largely American phenomenon: it peaked in the 1920s alongside Pauline, Geraldine and Josephine, the wave of feminine forms built on masculine names with that same ending. It is unrelated to the Dutch and German Maxi and to Maxima, which are separate formations from the same root.
Maxine in use
Maxine ranks 118th in France with about 435 births in 2025 and 496th in the United States, and our records mark it reviving from a peak in 1924 — a vintage name returning rather than a new one. Our records carry it from 1884. Its French use is more recent than its American one and reads there as an international name rather than a revival, which is why the two markets are moving in step for different reasons.
How popular is Maxine?
In 2025, Maxine was given to 597 babies in the United States, ranking #496 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Maxine 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 Maxine
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Maxine also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Maxine over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Maxine
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.
Maxine 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 Maxine
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Maxine — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Maxine
What does the name Maxine mean?
Maxine means "greatest," from the Latin maximus.
Is Maxine a French name?
The ending is French, and it ranks 118th in France, but the name was built in the nineteenth century rather than inherited.
Is Maxine related to Maxime?
Both come from Maximus. Maxime is the French masculine form; Maxine is a feminine formation.
How popular is Maxine?
118th in France and 496th in the United States.
Is Maxine a girl's or a boy's name?
Maxine is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Maxine?
Maxine has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Maxine?
Maxine is usually shortened to Max and Maxie.
Is Maxine a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Maxine currently ranks #118 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.