Maximus is a Latin name and means "greatest", the superlative of magnus; it was a Roman family name and the title of several emperors and saints. Modern parents know it from Russell Crowe's general Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator, released in 2000, which turned a dusty Roman cognomen into an American baby name almost overnight. Maximus rose from number 851 in 2000 to a peak of number 187 in 2016 and ranks number 276 among boys' names in 2025.