# Maxim (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/maxim/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from French or from Dutch [in turn transferred from the given name, in turn from Latin].

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 1,731 |
| US rank (2010) | 16,575 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 178,363 people |
| Change since 2000 | +19% (1,458 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Maxam |

## Etymology

* As a given name, from Latin Maximus (“greatest”), superlative of magnus (“great”). Borne by several early Christian saints. * As a French or Dutch surname, from the given name. * For the machine gun, named after American and British inventor Hiram Maxim (1840–1916).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Maxim in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 88% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 2.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.7% |
| Two or more races | 1.4% |

## Similar surnames

Mason, McKinney, Magana, McCann, McGowan, McKenna, McQueen, McCain, Messina, Mixon, McCune, McEwen.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.