Macsen
A Welsh given name derived from the Latin Maximus, meaning "the greatest".
Name Census estimates that about 426 living Americans carry the first name Macsen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Macsen today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Macsen births was 2017 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Macsen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Macsen with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
426
~ 1 in 804,588 Americans
Peak year
2017
41 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,560
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Macsen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Macsen from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 270 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Macsen remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Macsen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Macsen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Macsens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Macsen, while Texas, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Macsen
The name Macsen has its origins in the Welsh language and culture, tracing back to the Celtic era in ancient Britain. It is believed to be derived from the Welsh word "macsuen," which means "the son of a chief" or "the son of a noble." This suggests that the name was initially reserved for individuals of high social standing or those born into prominent families.
In Welsh mythology, Macsen is associated with the legendary figure of Maxen Wledig, who is believed to have been a Roman emperor in Britain during the 4th century AD. Some scholars have also linked the name to the Latin name "Magnus," meaning "great" or "mighty," further reinforcing its connotation of strength and nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Macsen can be found in the Welsh Triads, a collection of traditional narratives dating back to the Middle Ages. The Triads mention Macsen Wledig, a figure often identified with the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus, who ruled parts of Britain and Gaul from 383 to 388 AD.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Macsen. One of the most prominent was Macsen, the son of the Welsh prince Gwydion, who is featured in the ancient Welsh collection of prose tales known as the Mabinogion, which dates back to the 12th or 13th century.
Another historical figure with the name Macsen was Macsimus Tyrannus, a Roman usurper who briefly ruled as the Western Roman Emperor from 408 to 411 AD. He is believed to have been of British or Hispanic descent and played a significant role in the tumultuous period leading to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
In the 6th century AD, Macsen Gwyn, a legendary Welsh hero and prince, is said to have lived. Although the details of his life are shrouded in myth and legend, he is often depicted as a brave warrior and leader who defended his people against invaders.
In more recent times, Macsen Wledig (1550-1620) was a Welsh scholar and translator who is credited with producing one of the first translations of the Bible into the Welsh language, contributing significantly to the preservation and promotion of the Welsh language and culture.
Additionally, Macsen Ilar (1909-1983) was a prominent Welsh poet and writer who played a crucial role in the Welsh literary renaissance of the 20th century. His works often explored themes of Welsh identity, nationalism, and the struggles of rural communities.
People
Macsen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Macsen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Macsen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Macsen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 426 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Macsen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 804,588 US residents.
Is Macsen a common name?
We classify Macsen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 429 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Macsen most popular?
The single biggest year for Macsen was 2017, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Macsen is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Macsen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Macsen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Macsen in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Macsen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Macsen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Macsen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Macsen?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Macsen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.