# Maxwell (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/maxwell/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “mack's well”, “spring”, “well” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmækswɛl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 109,467 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 108,732 / 735 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 10,280, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From an earlier form Mackeswell, meaning "Mack's well or spring", from Old English welle (“well”).

## What it means

Maxwell is grouped under water.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 5 | 18,874 |
| 2012 | 8 | 13,023 |
| 2013 | 26 | 5,253 |
| 2014 | 34 | 4,329 |
| 2015 | 40 | 3,824 |
| 2016 | 60 | 2,851 |
| 2017 | 66 | 2,650 |
| 2018 | 61 | 2,803 |
| 2019 | 56 | 2,951 |
| 2020 | 54 | 2,997 |
| 2021 | 49 | 3,283 |
| 2022 | 52 | 3,149 |
| 2023 | 44 | 3,559 |
| 2024 | 28 | 4,851 |
| 2025 | 15 | 7,375 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,056 | 133 |
| 2012 | 3,233 | 114 |
| 2013 | 3,643 | 108 |
| 2014 | 3,739 | 107 |
| 2015 | 3,553 | 113 |
| 2016 | 3,585 | 111 |
| 2017 | 3,081 | 133 |
| 2018 | 2,907 | 134 |
| 2019 | 2,637 | 147 |
| 2020 | 2,513 | 146 |
| 2021 | 2,380 | 162 |
| 2022 | 2,183 | 173 |
| 2023 | 1,992 | 182 |
| 2024 | 2,024 | 182 |
| 2025 | 1,924 | 189 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 492 | 131 |
| 2012 | 521 | 125 |
| 2013 | 526 | 114 |
| 2014 | 525 | 119 |
| 2015 | 496 | 128 |
| 2016 | 504 | 123 |
| 2017 | 433 | 136 |
| 2018 | 399 | 142 |
| 2019 | 352 | 155 |
| 2020 | 336 | 157 |
| 2021 | 325 | 163 |
| 2022 | 290 | 174 |
| 2023 | 288 | 180 |
| 2024 | 273 | 184 |
| 2025 | 274 | 183 |

## People named Maxwell

- Maxwell, Brazilian footballer
- Maxwell Anderson, American playwright and writer (1888–1959)
- Peter Maxwell Davies, English composer and conductor (1934-2016)
- Maxwell D. Taylor, American military officer and diplomat (1901-1987)
- Maxwell Jenkins, American actor
- Maxwell Jacob Friedman, American professional wrestler
- Maxwell Caulfield, British actor
- Maxwell Frost, American politician and activist (born 1997)
- Maxwell Holt, American volleyball player
- Anna Maxwell Martin, British actress
- Maxwell Tylden Masters, British botanist (1833-1907)
- Maxwell Perkins, American literary editor (1884–1947)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.