Find out how popular the last name Max is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Max.

Max, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Max surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Max in America

Max is the 11388th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Max surname appeared 2,769 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Max.

We can also compare 2010 data for Max to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Max

The surname Max originates from Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Maximilian, which itself is derived from the Latin name Maximilianus, meaning "greatest Aemilius." Aemilius was a Roman family name.

In medieval times, the surname Max was most commonly found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Emmerami, a 12th-century manuscript from the Benedictine abbey of St. Emmeram in Regensburg, Bavaria.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Konrad Max, a burgher of Nuremberg, who was mentioned in records from the city in 1296. Another early recorded individual with the surname was Heinrich Max, a citizen of Augsburg, who was listed in the city's tax records in 1357.

The surname Max is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Georg Max, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1557 to 1619. He was known for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches across Germany.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Gabriel von Max, a German painter and sculptor who lived from 1840 to 1915. He was known for his works depicting mythological and allegorical subjects, and his paintings can be found in museums throughout Europe.

In the literary world, there was Walter Max, a German author and playwright who lived from 1856 to 1920. He wrote several novels and plays that explored themes of social criticism and satire.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname Max was the philosopher and mathematician Max Planck, who lived from 1858 to 1947. He is best known for his work in quantum theory and for being the originator of the concept of the Planck constant, which is fundamental to modern physics.

Overall, the surname Max has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Germany, with notable bearers of the name spanning various fields, from art and literature to science and philosophy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Max

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Max.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Max was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Max has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Max was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Max, please contact us.

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