Max vs Steffen
Max and Steffencompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2000, Max was ranked #38 and Steffen #2142 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Max was ranked #72 and Steffen #519 among boys in Norway.
Max and Steffen over time
Max and Steffen appear together in 1 published list, across 58 years of shared records. Steffen held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Max in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Steffen reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Max in none. 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2004, Max moved ahead of Steffen in Norway · Boys — #154 and #143 the year before became #140 and #143.
- Mirrored each other
Over 58 shared years in Norway · Boys, Max rose about as far as Steffen fell — from #359 and #341 in 1946 to #72 and #519 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Max and Steffen were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 58 years, from 1946 to 2025, ending at #72 and #519.
List by list
Norway · Boys58 shared years, 1946–2025
Max held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Steffen in 38.
Highest recorded here: Max #60 in 2012, Steffen #24 in 1985.
The order changed in 2004: Max moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #154 and #143; by 2004 that had become #140 and #143.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Max #72, Steffen #519.
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 | Max | Steffen |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A short form of Maximilian or Maxim, ultimately from Latin 'maximus' (greatest). | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmæks/ | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #30 (2025) | Norway · Boys #519 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Max has a recorded origin (Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim); Steffen does not have one recorded yet.
- Max has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Steffen.
- A meaning is recorded for Max; Steffen doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
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
Steffen
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #341 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1946–2025
Highest recorded position: #24 among boys in Norway, in 1985 (recorded 1946–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #519 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys