Gender Masculine
Usage English
Pronounced Pron. MAKS-wehl  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From a Scottish surname meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer of the surname was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.

As a given name it has increased in popularity starting from the 1980s, likely because it is viewed as a full form of Max [1].

Related Names

DiminutivesMax, Maxie
Feminine FormsMaxene, Maxine

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   serious  

Categories

Sources & References

  1. Evans, Cleveland Kent. The Great Big Book of Baby Names. Publications International, 2006, page 221.
Entry updated January 21, 2022