Head to head · Girls' names
Maxine vs Solana
#496 vs #495 in 2025
Solana is a whisker ahead (#495 vs #496 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Solana is climbing the charts fast, Maxine is back after a long quiet spell.
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
The tape is even: Maxine and Solana each lead 3 measures of 6.
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: Maxine #917, Solana — — Maxine higher
- 1890s: Maxine #805, Solana — — Maxine higher
- 1900s: Maxine #313, Solana — — Maxine higher
- 1910s: Maxine #115, Solana — — Maxine higher
- 1920s: Maxine #81, Solana — — Maxine higher
- 1930s: Maxine #118, Solana — — Maxine higher
- 1940s: Maxine #163, Solana — — Maxine higher
- 1950s: Maxine #279, Solana — — Maxine higher
- 1960s: Maxine #482, Solana — — Maxine higher
- 1970s: Maxine #915, Solana #6221 — Maxine higher
- 1980s: Maxine #1097, Solana #6090 — Maxine higher
- 1990s: Maxine #1009, Solana #4711 — Maxine higher
- 2000s: Maxine #1392, Solana #2787 — Maxine higher
- 2010s: Maxine #1089, Solana #2921 — Maxine higher
- 2020s: Maxine #598, Solana #1018 — Maxine higher
Maxine stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Maxine | Solana |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #917 | — |
| 1890s | #805 | — |
| 1900s | #313 | — |
| 1910s | #115 | — |
| 1920s | #81 | — |
| 1930s | #118 | — |
| 1940s | #163 | — |
| 1950s | #279 | — |
| 1960s | #482 | — |
| 1970s | #915 | #6221 |
| 1980s | #1097 | #6090 |
| 1990s | #1009 | #4711 |
| 2000s | #1392 | #2787 |
| 2010s | #1089 | #2921 |
| 2020s | #598 | #1018 |
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
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.
Solana
Sunny side, sunlit place
From Spanish solana, a sun-exposed slope or sun porch, from Latin solanus 'of the sun', from sol 'sun'.
sol (Latin) → solanus → solana (Spanish) → Solana
How it traveled
Solana begins as a plain noun in Spanish — the face of a hill that gets the sun, as opposed to the umbria, the shaded side. Because farmers and builders cared about that distinction, it became a place name many times over, attached to villages, streets and neighborhoods throughout Spain and later the Spanish-speaking Americas.
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
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.
Solana
so-LAH-nah
Stress falls on the middle syllable in both English and Spanish. The first vowel is short — closer to 'so' than 'soul'.
- Lana — The most natural English short form, and a long-established given name in its own right.
- Sol — Used in Spanish-speaking families; also stands alone as a girl's name in Spanish, particularly in Argentina.
- Sola — Informal clipping used at home; note it is also the Spanish word for 'alone'.
- Ana — Drawn from the end of the name rather than the start; a full given name across Spanish, Portuguese and Slavic languages.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Maxine if you want…
- a name with fewer syllablesMaxine is 2 syllables to Solana's 3
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 30% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 62% for Solana
Choose Solana if you want…
- a name on the way upup 1,139 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itSolana runs 3 syllables, Maxine 2
- a name that feels very nowSolana is climbing the charts fast
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
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.
Solana
Strengths
- Spelled exactly as it sounds in both English and Spanish; no silent letters and no competing pronunciations to correct.
- Comes with ready-made short forms — Lana, Sol, Ana — each of which is already an established name on its own.
- A transparent meaning in a living language: any Spanish speaker reads 'sunny side' straight off the page.
To consider
- Since 2020 Solana has also been the name of a large cryptocurrency, which currently dominates search results. That association is recent and may fade, but for now it is the first thing many adults will think of.
- Solange, Solene, Salana and Solina all circle nearby, so expect the occasional mishearing over the phone and a spelling repeated on forms.
- A child with this name will very likely be the only one in the school, which cuts both ways: no shared name, but also a lifetime of brief explanations.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Maxine
30%chance Maxine feels dated by 2040
Maxine is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
Solana
62%chance Solana feels dated by 2040
Solana is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
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 Maxine and Solana 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 Maxine and Solana?
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 head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- Names with an X in them
- Names that peaked exactly a century ago
- all guides
Where Maxine and Solana each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Maxine or Solana — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Maxine or Solana?
- Solana, in 2025: Solana ranked #495 with 599 babies; Maxine ranked #496 with 597 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Maxine or Solana?
- Solana. Over the last five years Maxine moved up 243 places; Solana moved up 1,139 places.
- Which is the older name, Maxine or Solana?
- Maxine entered the US charts in 1884; Solana entered the US charts in 1976. On the American record, Maxine is the older name.
- How many people are named Maxine and Solana?
- About 40,000 people named Maxine are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 3,400 people named Solana are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Maxines or Solanas in the classroom?
- Maxine will almost certainly be the only one in school. Solana 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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