Maxwel
Great stream or great spring; great water spring.
Name Census estimates that about 263 living Americans carry the first name Maxwel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Maxwel today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maxwel births was 2001 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maxwel. 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.
People living today
263
~ 1 in 1,303,248 Americans
Peak year
2001
21 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,489
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Maxwel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maxwel from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 131 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maxwel 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 Maxwel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maxwel
The name Maxwel is derived from the Germanic name Maxwell, which originated as a surname in the 12th century. It is a combination of the Old English words "maec" meaning "mighty" and "welle" meaning "spring" or "stream". The name was initially used to describe someone who lived near a great spring or stream.
The earliest recorded use of the name Maxwel can be traced back to the 12th century in England. It was borne by a prominent Scottish family, the Maxwells, who held lands in Roxburghshire. The name gained prominence during the Middle Ages, and several notable individuals bore this name.
One of the earliest known figures with the name Maxwel was Sir John Maxwell (c. 1283 - 1356), a Scottish noble and military leader who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under King Robert the Bruce. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, where the Scots defeated the English forces.
Another historical figure with the name Maxwel was James Maxwell (c. 1500 - 1593), a Scottish mathematician and scholar who served as a tutor to King James VI of Scotland. He was a prominent figure in the Scottish Reformation and was known for his translations of various religious texts.
In the 17th century, Robert Maxwell (1608 - 1673) was a Scottish writer and historian who authored several works on Scottish history and genealogy. His book "The Genealogical History of the Most Illustrious and Most Ancient Family of the Maxwells" is considered a valuable resource for understanding the history of the Maxwell clan.
The name Maxwel also gained prominence in the field of science with the legendary physicist James Clerk Maxwell (1831 - 1879). He is renowned for his groundbreaking work on electromagnetic theory, which laid the foundations for modern physics. His equations, known as Maxwell's equations, are fundamental to the study of electromagnetism.
Another notable figure with the name Maxwel was Sir William Maxwell (1858 - 1939), a British novelist and playwright who wrote under the pen name "St. John G. Ervine". He was a prolific writer and is best known for his novels depicting life in Northern Ireland during the early 20th century.
While the name Maxwel has its roots in the Middle Ages, it continues to be used as a given name in various parts of the world, paying tribute to its rich historical significance and the remarkable individuals who have borne this name throughout the centuries.
People
Maxwel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maxwel 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
Maxwel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maxwel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 263 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maxwel 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 1,303,248 US residents.
Is Maxwel a common name?
We classify Maxwel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 267 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maxwel most popular?
The single biggest year for Maxwel was 2001, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maxwel is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maxwel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maxwel 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.
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.