Head to head · Girls' names
Mae vs Maxine
#500 vs #496 in 2025
Maxine is a whisker ahead (#496 vs #500 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Maxine is back after a long quiet spell, Mae is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Maxine leads 4 measures of 6; Mae leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Mae #65, Maxine #917 — Mae higher
- 1890s: Mae #55, Maxine #805 — Mae higher
- 1900s: Mae #58, Maxine #313 — Mae higher
- 1910s: Mae #84, Maxine #115 — Mae higher
- 1920s: Mae #116, Maxine #81 — Maxine higher
- 1930s: Mae #159, Maxine #118 — Maxine higher
- 1940s: Mae #228, Maxine #163 — Maxine higher
- 1950s: Mae #382, Maxine #279 — Maxine higher
- 1960s: Mae #723, Maxine #482 — Maxine higher
- 1970s: Mae #1354, Maxine #915 — Maxine higher
- 1980s: Mae #1868, Maxine #1097 — Maxine higher
- 1990s: Mae #2157, Maxine #1009 — Maxine higher
- 2000s: Mae #1324, Maxine #1392 — Mae higher
- 2010s: Mae #679, Maxine #1089 — Mae higher
- 2020s: Mae #520, Maxine #598 — Mae higher
Maxine stood higher in 8 of 15 decades; Mae has held the lead since the 2000s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Mae | Maxine |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #65 | #917 |
| 1890s | #55 | #805 |
| 1900s | #58 | #313 |
| 1910s | #84 | #115 |
| 1920s | #116 | #81 |
| 1930s | #159 | #118 |
| 1940s | #228 | #163 |
| 1950s | #382 | #279 |
| 1960s | #723 | #482 |
| 1970s | #1354 | #915 |
| 1980s | #1868 | #1097 |
| 1990s | #2157 | #1009 |
| 2000s | #1324 | #1392 |
| 2010s | #679 | #1089 |
| 2020s | #520 | #598 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Mae
A pet form of Mary or Margaret
Mae is a variant of May, used as a short form of Mary and Margaret.
Mary → May → Mae
How it traveled
'; the tidier version came from audiences and impressionists. In 1992 Mae Jemison, a physician and engineer from Chicago, flew aboard the shuttle Endeavour and became the first Black woman in space.
Maxine
greatest
From Latin maximus, "greatest", by way of Maximus and Maximilian; Maxine is the feminine formed with the French -ine suffix.
Maximus → Maximilianus → Maxime → Maxine
How it traveled
Maximus began as a Roman cognomen and became a widely used name across the Latin-speaking world, later extended into Maximilianus and passed down as French Maxime and English Max. Maxine is the feminine built from that stem with -ine, the same French suffix at work in Pauline, Céline and Josephine — a pattern that produced a whole cluster of women's names in English-speaking countries.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Mae
MAY
One syllable.
- Maisie — A pet form, also a given name on its own.
Maxine
mak-SEEN
Stress on the second syllable. A first-syllable stress (MAX-een) is heard occasionally but is not the standard reading.
- Max — The standard short form, informal; also stands alone as a given name for boys and, increasingly, girls.
- Maxie — Informal and affectionate; long-established, and used within families more than as a public name.
- Maxi — Same short form with an alternate spelling, informal.
- Mac — Less common, informal, usually arriving by way of Max rather than directly.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Mae if you want…
- a name holding steadyMae is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesMae is 1 syllable to Maxine's 2
- a name that stays wholeone recorded short form for Mae (Maisie)
- a long American recordMae was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Maxine if you want…
- a name on the way upup 243 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itMaxine runs 2 syllables, Mae 1
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Max, Maxie and Maxi
- a newer arrivalMaxine entered the US charts in 1884
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Mae
Strengths
- Short, bright and instantly familiar.
- A long, unbroken American history.
- Works well as a first or middle name.
To consider
- People will ask whether it is short for Mary.
- It is sometimes spelled May, and forms may correct it.
- For a boy it would be very unusual.
Maxine
Strengths
- Comes with ready-made short forms: Max and Maxie both have long histories of real use.
- One dominant spelling, and an unambiguous one — most people write it correctly on first hearing.
- The Latin root is shared across French, Spanish, Italian and German, so relatives abroad will recognize the family of the name.
To consider
- Most living Maxines are of the oldest generations, so many adults will place the name firmly with a grandmother or great-aunt. That is exactly what makes it feel fresh on a child, but expect the double-take.
- Maxene, Maxeen and Maxie all exist as separate spellings, so she may be asked to confirm hers on forms even though Maxine is the most common version.
- Max is now used for boys and girls both. If she goes by it day to day, the full name on paper will do the clarifying.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Mae and Maxine in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Mae and Maxine?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Three-letter names: tiny and complete
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- One-syllable names: said in a single beat
- Vintage nicknames standing on their own
- all guides
Where Mae and Maxine each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Mae or Maxine — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Mae or Maxine?
- Maxine, in 2025: Maxine ranked #496 with 597 babies; Mae ranked #500 with 594 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Mae or Maxine?
- Maxine. Over the last five years Mae moved up 72 places; Maxine moved up 243 places.
- Which is the older name, Mae or Maxine?
- Mae was already in use when US records began in 1880; Maxine entered the US charts in 1884. On the American record, Mae is the older name.
- How many people are named Mae and Maxine?
- About 28,000 people named Mae are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 40,000 people named Maxine are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Maes or Maxines in the classroom?
- Mae will almost certainly be the only one in school. Maxine will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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