| Maurice | Rex | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | dark-skinned, Moorish | king |
| Origin | latin | latin |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | MOR-iss | reks |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1921 (1,743) | 1951 (1,503) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 281 |
| Trend | Vintage | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Maurice | Rex |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,476 | 2,106 |
| 2010s | 4,640 | 3,945 |
| 2000s | 7,178 | 2,048 |
| 1990s | 10,087 | 1,740 |
| 1980s | 15,575 | 2,532 |
| 1970s | 15,233 | 3,359 |
| 1960s | 14,643 | 8,735 |
| 1950s | 12,584 | 13,499 |
| 1940s | 10,477 | 6,671 |
| 1930s | 12,638 | 5,949 |
| 1920s | 16,161 | 5,627 |
| 1910s | 11,429 | 3,253 |
| 1900s | 1,980 | 497 |
| 1890s | 1,270 | 305 |
| 1880s | 961 | 183 |
From Latin 'Mauritius', a derivative of 'Maurus' meaning 'Moor' or 'dark-skinned, swarthy'. Borne by Saint Maurice, a 3rd-century martyr.
Directly from the Latin noun 'rex', meaning 'king' — the same root behind 'regal' and 'royal'. One of the few names that literally means 'king' with no ambiguity.
Rex is more popular than Maurice today: about 281 US babies were given the name Rex in 2025, compared with 0 named Maurice.
Maurice means dark-skinned, Moorish (latin origin), while Rex means king (latin origin).
In US records, Maurice first appears in 0 and Rex in 1880, so Maurice has the longer recorded history.