Maxwell

updated: Sept 2015

Maxwell ~ from Mack's spring ~ Scottish

There is something about this name that hits our buttons in America. Maybe it's the fashionable "x" or the Scottish roots, or maybe it's simply the fact that it's a common surname. My reasons for liking it are the x and a personal connection—my relatives named Maxwell immigrated from Scotland in the 1700s. For whatever reason, Maxwell and its nickname, Max, are doing pretty well these days.

When I first mentioned this week's pick for a boy's name, my husband said right away, "You have to talk about Maxwell Smart." The star of Get Smart, Maxwell is a loveable but klutzy secret agent who manages to get the bad guy in spite of his ineptitude. Even though the character first hit television screens across America in 1965, the name didn't catch on much until after the show was off the air.

Popularity

But it did catch on, and it climbed the charts significantly over the past 30 years. It's well-liked today and it sits at 107 for 2014. Maxwell is offering parents a more formal version of Max, and it's great for parents who love nicknames and longer-but-versatile names. Both are growing in popularity, but Max has shown steadier use throughout America's history, never dipping below #400 as long as we have records.

Maxwell is ranked at 107, and Max is at 112 (2014 stats).

Celebrity Babies

• Maxwell, son of Ryan and Trista Sutter, of The Bachelorette
• Maxwell Edward, son of Lance Armstrong
• Maxwell Drew, daughter of Eric Maxwell Johnson and Jessica Simpson
• Maxwell Lue, daughter of Lindsay Sloane