*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Max

Borrowed from German Max, diminutive of Maximilian in the 19th century, later also used as a nickname for Maxwell.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A male given name from Latin. · A diminutive of the male given names Maximilian and Maxwell. · A diminutive of the female given name Maxine.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from German Max, diminutive of Maximilian in the 19th century, later also used as a nickname for Maxwell.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionMaxde
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Max"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from German Max"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Max",
      "Max#German"
    ],
    [
      "Maximilian",
      "Maximilian"
    ],
    [
      "Maxwell",
      "Maxwell#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name from Latin.",
        "A diminutive of the male given names Maximilian and Maxwell.",
        "A diminutive of the female given name Maxine."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "c0f12b40e2445e8585e6635e6fd587ee647d5f96d9387a5ef11925a3d93bfcad",
      "rawRecordSha256": "735ea102258438a916b54903c16e63cea7d19e89dc63e2a3c6969935912bfbad",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 329653
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Max →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TWF4