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