2000
#10,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Max
A shortened form of a surname beginning with "Max-," such as Maxwell, which means "Mack's stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,889 Americans carry the last name Max. That puts it at #11,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,641 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Max surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Max with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,641
Census rank
#11,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,519 bearers of the surname Max in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Max, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Max
Among Census respondents with the surname Max, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Max bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Max surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 1,906
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 240
- Black or African American6.4% · 161
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 71
- Two or more races2.6% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Max
Max appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,769
-193 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 1,351 places
2020
#11,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,519
-250 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,037 | 2,962 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,388 | 2,769 | 0.94 | -193 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 1,351 places |
| 2020 | #11,886 | 2,519 | 0.84 | -250 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 498 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Max surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,388 | #11,886 | -4.4% |
| Count | 2,769 | 2,519 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.84 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Max bearers went from 2,769 to 2,519 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 498 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,388 to #11,886.
FAQ
Max surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Max?
Name Census estimates that about 2,889 living Americans carry the surname Max. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,641 residents.
How common is Max?
Max ranks #11,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,519 people with the surname Max. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,889), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Max.
Has Max become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Max went from 2,769 recorded bearers to 2,519. That is a decrease of 250 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,388 to #11,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Max?
Among Census respondents with the surname Max, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (6.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Max in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (1,906 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Max appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Hispanic (9.5%), Black (6.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Max (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Max mean?
A shortened form of a surname beginning with "Max-," such as Maxwell, which means "Mack's stream." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Max (0.84 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Max?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.