| Maximilian | Rex | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Greatest | king |
| Origin | Latin | latin |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | mak-suh-MIL-ee-un | reks |
| Syllables | 5 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1907 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2016 (717) | 1951 (1,503) |
| In 2025 | 497 | 281 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Maximilian | Rex |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,153 | 2,106 |
| 2010s | 6,508 | 3,945 |
| 2000s | 5,101 | 2,048 |
| 1990s | 2,761 | 1,740 |
| 1980s | 928 | 2,532 |
| 1970s | 260 | 3,359 |
| 1960s | 102 | 8,735 |
| 1950s | 12 | 13,499 |
| 1940s | 5 | 6,671 |
| 1930s | 12 | 5,949 |
| 1920s | 39 | 5,627 |
| 1910s | 54 | 3,253 |
| 1900s | 5 | 497 |
| 1890s | 0 | 305 |
| 1880s | 0 | 183 |
From the Latin Maximilianus, from maximus, “greatest.”
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.
Maximilian is more popular than Rex today: about 497 US babies were given the name Maximilian in 2025, compared with 281 named Rex.
Maximilian means Greatest (Latin origin), while Rex means king (latin origin).
In US records, Maximilian first appears in 1907 and Rex in 1880, so Rex has the longer recorded history.