Maximilien
The French spelling of Maksymilian, from the Latin for "greatest". Only about 115 men in Poland carry it, and the register now records almost none born, so most Poles have never met one.
Maximilien Pronunciation
What Maximilien means
Where Maximilien comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
The name Maximilien comes from Latin, the French form of Maximilian. Emperor Frederick III coined Maximilian in the 15th century by joining Maximus, "greatest," with Aemilianus, the family name of the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus. The Polish gloss keeps that blend: "największy z Emiliuszów," the greatest of the Aemilii.
France gave the name its accent and its most famous bearer. Maximilien Robespierre steered the French Revolution and lost his head to it in 1794. The name has never shaken that association.
In Poland the name arrives in other clothes. Maksymilian is the standard variant, Maksym another, and Maks the everyday short form. A boy called Maksymilian on a class register answers to Maks by the second week.
The Polish story belongs to Saint Maksymilian Kolbe. He died at Auschwitz in 1941, offering his life for a stranger. His imieniny fall on 14 August. The meaning stays fixed under every form. Greatest.
How many people are named Maximilien
1 in 185619 men in Poland is named Maximilien. 115 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #3161 among male names.
Maximilien's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 boys were given the name in 2025. It has been stable for a decade.
Maximilien as a middle name
Maximilien is a first name for 115 men in Poland and a middle name for another 24, an 83/17 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 1765th, between Martynian (24) and Miroslav (24).
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#1763 Marshall24
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#1764 Martynian24
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#1765 Maximilien24
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#1766 Miroslav24
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#1767 Neo24