NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Maks

A masculine name of Russian origin representing a diminutive form of "Maksim".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Maks is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Maks popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4270, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 11 births.

This profile covers 132 England and Wales registrations across 19 recorded years from 2006 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 36% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 134 living people in the UK are called Maks. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Maks ranked #4270 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2008, when 11 boys were registered as Maks.
  • Maks ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2008.
  • About 134 living people in the UK are estimated to have Maks as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4270

2024

Births in 2024

4

Latest year

Peak year

2008

11 births

Estimated living

134

2026

Meaning

What does Maks mean?

The name Maks is a variant of the name Maksim, which is derived from the Latin name Maximus, meaning "greatest" or "largest." The name Maksim has its roots in ancient Rome and was used as a cognomen or nickname for prominent Roman families.

The name Maks is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, particularly in Slavic-speaking countries such as Russia and Ukraine. It gained popularity as a diminutive form of the name Maksim, which was widely used in these regions.

One of the earliest known historical references to the name Maks can be found in Russian literature from the 19th century. The name was used by famous Russian writers such as Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy in their literary works, reflecting its widespread use among the Russian population during that time.

The name Maks has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Maksim Gorky, a Russian writer and political activist who lived from 1868 to 1936. His real name was Alexei Maximovich Peshkov, but he adopted the pen name Maksim Gorky, which means "Maxim the Bitter."

Another notable figure with the name Maks was Maksim Bahdanovič, a Belarusian poet and literary critic who lived from 1891 to 1917. He is considered one of the most prominent figures in the Belarusian literary renaissance of the early 20th century.

In the field of science, Maks Born, a German physicist and mathematician who lived from 1882 to 1970, made significant contributions to the development of quantum mechanics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 for his work on the statistical interpretation of wave functions.

Maks Lewin, a Polish-born painter and graphic artist who lived from 1899 to 1995, was also a notable bearer of this name. He was known for his avant-garde and abstract works, and his art was influenced by various movements, including Cubism and Surrealism.

Finally, Maks Rosenfeld, an Austrian-American physicist who lived from 1884 to 1942, made important contributions to the field of solid-state physics. He is best known for his work on the theory of electric and magnetic properties of metals and semiconductors.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Maks over time

The chart below shows babies named Maks registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2006 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Maks, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 11 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Maks
036811200620152024

Decades

Maks by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Maks was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #3786 24 5
2010s #2378 86 10
2000s #3303 22 4

Geography

Where Maks is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Maks. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Maks ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2008.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Maks in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#638 in 2008

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Related

Names similar to Maks

FAQ

Maks: questions and answers

How popular is the name Maks in the UK right now?

In 2024, Maks was ranked #4270 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Maks most popular?

The peak year on record was 2008, with 11 babies registered as Maks in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Maks?

A masculine name of Russian origin representing a diminutive form of "Maksim".

How many people are called Maks in the UK?

A total of 132 babies have been registered as Maks across the 19 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Maks most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Maks ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #638 in 2008. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.