Head to head · Boys' names
Maximilian vs Mohammed
#590 vs #595 in 2025
Maximilian is a whisker ahead (#590 vs #595 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Maximilian is stepping back from its peak, Mohammed is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Mohammed has the edge.
Each name in full: Maximilian · Mohammed
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, Maximilian leads 5 measures of 6; Mohammed leads 1.
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
Maximilian — stepping back from its peak. About 18,500 people named Maximilian are estimated to be alive in the US today.
Mohammed — holding its place on the charts. About 16,000 people named Mohammed are estimated to be alive in the US today.
Who owned which decade
- 1900s: Maximilian #1345, Mohammed — — Maximilian higher
- 1910s: Maximilian #2787, Mohammed — — Maximilian higher
- 1920s: Maximilian #3302, Mohammed #4002 — Maximilian higher
- 1930s: Maximilian #3183, Mohammed #2719 — Mohammed higher
- 1940s: Maximilian #3560, Mohammed #3339 — Mohammed higher
- 1950s: Maximilian #3632, Mohammed #3481 — Mohammed higher
- 1960s: Maximilian #2739, Mohammed #2842 — Maximilian higher
- 1970s: Maximilian #1894, Mohammed #1475 — Mohammed higher
- 1980s: Maximilian #1105, Mohammed #771 — Mohammed higher
- 1990s: Maximilian #642, Mohammed #600 — Mohammed higher
- 2000s: Maximilian #492, Mohammed #602 — Maximilian higher
- 2010s: Maximilian #448, Mohammed #574 — Maximilian higher
- 2020s: Maximilian #557, Mohammed #644 — Maximilian higher
Maximilian stood higher in 7 of 13 decades; Maximilian has held the lead since the 2000s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Maximilian | Mohammed |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | #1345 | — |
| 1910s | #2787 | — |
| 1920s | #3302 | #4002 |
| 1930s | #3183 | #2719 |
| 1940s | #3560 | #3339 |
| 1950s | #3632 | #3481 |
| 1960s | #2739 | #2842 |
| 1970s | #1894 | #1475 |
| 1980s | #1105 | #771 |
| 1990s | #642 | #600 |
| 2000s | #492 | #602 |
| 2010s | #448 | #574 |
| 2020s | #557 | #644 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Maximilian
Not charting outside the US.
Mohammed
- England & Wales#21
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Maximilian
greatest
From Latin maximus, 'greatest', through the Roman name Maximilianus, an extended form of Maximus.
Maximus → Maximilianus → Maximilian → Max
How it traveled
The root is the Latin adjective maximus, and the longer Maximilianus was already in use in the late Roman world — borne by early Christian martyrs venerated in the Alpine and Balkan provinces. The name became a fixture of the House of Habsburg from the fifteenth century, when Maximilian I was elected Holy Roman Emperor, and from there it spread through Austria, Bavaria and the Catholic German-speaking lands as a princely and then an ordinary given name.
Mohammed
praised, praiseworthy
From the Arabic root ḥ-m-d, 'to praise'. The same root gives Ahmad, Mahmud and Hamid, which are separate names rather than variants of this one.
Muḥammad (Arabic) → Muhammad → Mohammed
How it traveled
The name is Arabic, and its history in the world begins with Muhammad ibn Abdullah, born in Mecca in the sixth century, the Prophet of Islam. After him the name traveled wherever Islam did — across North Africa, into Persia and Central Asia, through South and Southeast Asia, up into the Balkans and West Africa — and each language reshaped it a little: Mehmet in Turkish, Muhamed in Bosnian, Maxamed in Somali, Muhammadu in Hausa.
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
Maximilian
mak-si-MIL-ee-un
Four syllables in relaxed American speech (mak-si-MIL-yun) is equally standard. German speakers say mak-si-MEE-lee-ahn, with the stress further forward and a long ee in the middle.
- Max — The default short form in English and German alike, and long established as a standalone given name in its own right.
- Maxi — Standard informal form in Austria and southern Germany; used in English-speaking homes mainly in early childhood.
- Maximo — Occasionally used informally where the Spanish forms are also current; Máximo also exists as a separate given name.
- Milo — An informal pull from the middle of the name rather than a traditional short form; Milo is also a full name of its own.
Mohammed
mo-HAM-med
Common American pronunciation. In Arabic it is closer to moo-HAM-mad, with the doubled m held slightly and a fuller vowel in the last syllable. Both are heard in the same family without anyone minding.
- Mo — The everyday short form in English-speaking countries; also used as a standalone name and a nickname for Moses, Maurice and Monica.
- Moe — The same short form with an American spelling, more common in older records.
- Momo — Informal, mostly family and childhood use; heard in French- and Arabic-speaking communities.
- Hamada — An Egyptian familiar form, used affectionately within family rather than in formal settings.
- Also Mido.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Maximilian if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsMaximilian is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itMaximilian runs 5 syllables, Mohammed 3
Choose Mohammed if you want…
- a name on the way upup 46 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesMohammed is 3 syllables to Maximilian's 5
- a name that charts abroad tooMohammed is on the national lists of England & Wales
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
Maximilian
Strengths
- Comes with Max already built in — a short form so established that no explaining is ever needed, at any age or in any setting.
- Recognized on sight across German, Spanish, Italian, French and Polish, each with its own spelling of the same name.
- A documented line running from Roman antiquity through the Habsburg emperors to the present, with no gap in use.
To consider
- Maximillian, with a double L, is a persistent misspelling, and forms will often come back that way. Worth deciding early whether you correct it every time or let it go.
- Five syllables invite shortening, so in practice the child may be Max nearly all the time — and Max is considerably more common than the full name. If that trade doesn't appeal, this is the wrong long form.
- It sits close to Maximiliano, Maximo and Maximus, so expect occasional mix-ups, particularly in places where the Spanish forms are also widely used.
Mohammed
Strengths
- Recognized on sight almost anywhere in the world — few names cross as many languages, alphabets and borders intact.
- Mo is an established short form with generations of use behind it, and it also stands alone.
- Fourteen centuries of continuous use, with no gap and no revival needed.
To consider
- Several English spellings compete: Muhammad, Mohamed, Mohammad, Muhammed. Whichever you choose, expect to spell it out at the doctor's office, and expect any single spelling's statistics to understate how common the name really is.
- It is the Prophet's name, and in Muslim families that carries real reverence — a consideration for religious and non-religious households alike. It is also a name that occasionally meets prejudice in the US, which is worth naming plainly rather than discovering later.
- Because it is given so widely in some communities, many boys go by a middle or second name day to day. That can be an advantage or an extra thing to explain, depending on the family.
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 Maximilian and Mohammed 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 Maximilian and Mohammed?
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.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
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 that carry both names
Every list here names both Maximilian and Mohammed — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Maximilian or Mohammed — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Maximilian or Mohammed?
- Maximilian, in 2025: Maximilian ranked #590 with 497 babies; Mohammed ranked #595 with 486 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Maximilian or Mohammed?
- Mohammed. Over the last five years Maximilian moved down 97 places; Mohammed moved up 46 places.
- Which is the older name, Maximilian or Mohammed?
- Maximilian entered the US charts in 1907; Mohammed entered the US charts in 1922. On the American record, Maximilian is the older name.
- How many people are named Maximilian and Mohammed?
- About 18,500 people named Maximilian are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 16,000 people named Mohammed are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Maximilians or Mohammeds in the classroom?
- Maximilian will almost certainly be the only one in school. Mohammed will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Maximilian, Mohammed and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap