Maximillien
Of Germanic origin meaning "greatest" or "greatest youth."
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Maximillien. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Maximillien today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maximillien births was 2000 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maximillien. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Maximillien. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2000
6 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2000 SSA rank
#9,888
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Maximillien: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Maximillien 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 Maximillien during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Maximillien
The name Maximillien is derived from the Germanic elements "maxi" meaning "greatest" and "munja" meaning "protector" or "desire." It originated as a masculine given name in the Late Roman and Early Medieval periods, around the 5th century AD.
The name gained popularity across Western Europe after the reign of Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 to 1519. He was a member of the House of Habsburg and is considered one of the most influential monarchs of his era. The name was widely used among noble families and the aristocracy during the Renaissance and Early Modern periods.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Maximillien de Béthune, Duke of Sully (1560-1641), a French nobleman and prominent minister under King Henry IV. He played a crucial role in strengthening France's economy and military during his time as the Superintendent of Finances.
Another notable figure was Maximillien Robespierre (1758-1794), a French lawyer and politician who became one of the most influential figures during the French Revolution. He was a leading member of the Jacobin club and was instrumental in the Reign of Terror before his eventual execution.
In the 19th century, Maximillien Luce (1858-1941) was a French Neo-Impressionist painter known for his depictions of urban life and social realism. His works are considered important contributions to the development of modern art in France.
Maximillien de Lafayette (1757-1834), a French aristocrat and military officer, is renowned for his pivotal role in the American Revolutionary War. He served as a major-general in the Continental Army and was a close friend of George Washington.
Lastly, Maximillien Kolbe (1894-1941) was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. He was canonized as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Church in 1982.
People
Maximillien + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maximillien 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
Maximillien: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maximillien?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maximillien 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Maximillien a common name?
We classify Maximillien as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maximillien most popular?
The single biggest year for Maximillien was 2000, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maximillien is about 26 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 Maximillien in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maximillien a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maximillien 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 Maximillien still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maximillien 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 Maximillien 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 are named Maximillien?
Want to know how many Americans are named Maximillien? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.