Elias vs Max
Elias and Maxcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Elias was ranked #4 and Max #72 among boys in Norway.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Elias was ranked #80 and Max #29 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Elias was ranked #199 and Max #29 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Elias was ranked #35 and Max #30 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Elias was ranked #187 and Max #30 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Elias was ranked #185 and Max #41 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Elias was ranked #79 and Max #44 among boys in England and Wales.
Elias and Max over time
Elias and Max appear together in 4 published lists, across 118 years of shared records. Max held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Elias in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Max reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Elias in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Elias and Max changed places 12 times in Norway · Boys between 1946 and 2025, ending at #4 and #72.
- Longest-running competitions
Elias and Max were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 55 years, from 1946 to 2025, ending at #4 and #72.
List by list
Norway · Boys55 shared years, 1946–2025
Elias held the stronger position in 48 of those years, Max in 7.
Highest recorded here: Elias #3 in 2006, Max #60 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elias #4, Max #72.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Elias held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Max in 29.
Highest recorded here: Elias #79 in 2024, Max #18 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elias #79, Max #44.
Republic of Ireland · Boys21 shared years, 2002–2025
Elias held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Max in 21.
Highest recorded here: Elias #185 in 2025, Max #27 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elias #185, Max #41.
Northern Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 2008–2024
Elias held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Max in 13.
Highest recorded here: Elias #187 in 2024, Max #22 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elias #187, Max #30.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Elias | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A form of Elijah, commonly interpreted as 'my God is Yahweh'. | A short form of Maximilian or Maxim, ultimately from Latin 'maximus' (greatest). |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek | Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim |
| Pronunciation | /ɪˈlaɪəs/ | /ˈmæks/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #4 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #30 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elias is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek origin, while Max is recorded with a Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim origin.
- Elias has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Max.
- Elias's recorded meaning differs from Max's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Elias
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #328 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Norway, in 2006 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #35 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Max
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #359 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1992–2023
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New Zealand, in 2016 (recorded 1992–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #30 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys