Maksymilian — Name Day, Meaning & Origin

Male Polish given name · rank 15 among male names (2024)

A dignified Polish male name of Latin origin, meaning "the greatest".

Pronunciation

/ˌmak.sɨ.ˈmi.ljan/ · mahk-sih-MEE-lyahn

Meaning

Maksymilian is the Polish form of the Latin name Maximilianus, derived from the adjective maximus, meaning "greatest". The name thus carries the sense of "the greatest" or "the most eminent".

Origin & history

The name is of Roman pedigree, and its standing was cemented by saints — above all, in Poland, by Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a Franciscan friar who gave his life for a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz. It is largely thanks to him that the name is especially cherished by Polish families today.

Etymology

It descends from the Latin Maximilianus, formed from maximus — "greatest", the superlative of magnus — "great". Some sources also connect it with the Roman gens Maximus.

Declension (Polish cases)

Nominative	Maksymilian
Genitive	Maksymiliana
Dative	Maksymilianowi
Accusative	Maksymiliana
Instrumental	Maksymilianem
Locative	Maksymilianie
Vocative	Maksymilianie

Name day (imieniny)

In Poland, Maksymilian celebrates its name day on 14 August, 12 October, 27 November.

Diminutives

Maks, Maksiu, Maksio, Maksymilianek, Maksiek.

Forms in other languages

Equivalents in other languages include Maximilian (English, German), Maximilien (French), Massimiliano (Italian) and Maximiliano (Spanish, Portuguese); a common short form is Max.

Notable people named Maksymilian

Maksymilian Maria Kolbe — Polish Franciscan friar and saint who gave his life for a fellow Auschwitz prisoner.

Maksymilian Gierymski — Esteemed Polish painter of the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Maksymilian Faktorowicz — Polish-American cosmetics entrepreneur known as Max Factor.

Popularity

Maksymilian has grown in popularity in recent years and is now among the names readily chosen for Polish boys.