Thirty years of Max
Max in numbers
Max peaked in 2012 with 3,220 boys and has fallen since, to 1,061 in 2025. Its biggest three-year fall came between 2012 and 2015, from 3,220 to 2,407. It ranked 56th in 1996, reached 18th in 2012 and ranks 48th now. On average it was given to 1,321 boys a year in the late 1990s, 2,233 in the 2000s, 2,509 in the 2010s and 1,362 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-7%1,140 to 1,061
- 5 years-33%1,585 to 1,061
- 10 years-56%2,407 to 1,061
- 20 years-53%2,279 to 1,061
- Since 1996-11%1,192 to 1,061
- Total, 1996 to 202560,868boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 48 · ONS · 1,140 in 2024
Rank 25 · NRS · 132 in 2024
Rank 64 · NISRA · 57 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 48 | 1,061 | -7% | 1 in 283 |
| 2024 | 44 | 1,140 | -11% | 1 in 268 |
| 2023 | 44 | 1,274 | -13% | 1 in 238 |
| 2022 | 37 | 1,459 | -12% | 1 in 213 |
| 2021 | 34 | 1,650 | +4% | 1 in 194 |
| 2020 | 33 | 1,585 | -14% | 1 in 198 |
| 2019 | 28 | 1,835 | -2% | 1 in 179 |
| 2018 | 31 | 1,867 | -14% | 1 in 181 |
| 2017 | 27 | 2,165 | -10% | 1 in 161 |
| 2016 * | 25 | 2,405 | -0% | 1 in 148 |
| 2015 | 28 | 2,407 | -7% | 1 in 149 |
| 2014 | 26 | 2,602 | -8% | 1 in 137 |
| 2013 | 25 | 2,836 | -12% | 1 in 126 |
| 2012 | 18 | 3,220 | +6% | 1 in 116 |
| 2011 | 20 | 3,043 | +12% | 1 in 122 |
| 2010 | 23 | 2,707 | -2% | 1 in 137 |
| 2009 | 25 | 2,762 | +2% | 1 in 131 |
| 2008 | 24 | 2,708 | +28% | 1 in 134 |
| 2007 | 31 | 2,121 | -6% | 1 in 167 |
| 2006 | 29 | 2,248 | -1% | 1 in 152 |
| 2005 | 31 | 2,279 | +2% | 1 in 145 |
| 2004 | 34 | 2,235 | +4% | 1 in 147 |
| 2003 | 34 | 2,154 | +5% | 1 in 148 |
| 2002 | 33 | 2,050 | +4% | 1 in 149 |
| 2001 | 35 | 1,976 | +10% | 1 in 154 |
| 2000 | 38 | 1,794 | +25% | 1 in 173 |
| 1999 | 48 | 1,431 | +1% | 1 in 223 |
| 1998 | 51 | 1,418 | +14% | 1 in 230 |
| 1997 | 57 | 1,244 | +4% | 1 in 265 |
| 1996 | 56 | 1,192 | 1 in 280 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Max
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Max is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Max is in our lists: Short baby names.