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Surname Etymology and Meaning of MAX

Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

German and Dutch: from a short form of the personal name Maximilian (Latin Maximillianus, a derivative of Maximillus, diminutive of Maximus ‘greatest’), borne by a 3rd-century saint venerated particularly in the region of Passau, where he founded a church. The personal name was comparatively rare at the most productive period of surname formation; it gained popularity from the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (born 1459), who was named by his father, Frederick III of Austria, in honor of the Roman heroes Q. Fabius Maximus and Scipio Aemilianus, as if with a combination of their names. The name is also borne by Ashkenazic Jews, presumably as an adoption of the German surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)