Maxwell (surname)
| Pronunciation | /ˈmækswəl/ |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | 1. Old English 2. Irish |
| Region of origin | Scotland, Ireland |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Miskell |
| [1][2] | |
Maxwell is a Scottish surname and a given male name, a habitational name derived from a location near Melrose, in Roxburghshire, Scotland. This name was first recorded in 1144, as Mackeswell, meaning "Mack's spring (or stream)" (from the Old English well[a]). The surname Maxwell is also common in Ulster, where it has, in some cases, been adopted as alternate form of the Irish surname Miskell.[3] The surname Maxwell is represented in Scottish Gaelic as MacSuail.
People
- Ally Maxwell (born 1965), Scottish football goalkeeper
- Andrew Maxwell (born 1974), Irish stand-up comedian
- Anna Maxwell (1851–1929), American nurse
- Augustus Maxwell (1820–1903), American politician
- Bernadine Maxwell (died 1988), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
- Bill Maxwell (1882–1917), Australian rules footballer
- Billy Maxwell (1929–2021), American golfer
- Brendon Maxwell (born 1991), American ice hockey player
- Brian Maxwell (1953–2004), Canadian athlete and founder of PowerBar
- Brookie Maxwell (1956–2015), American artist
- Bruce Maxwell (born 1990), American baseball player
- Byron Maxwell (born 1988), American football player
- Carmen Maxwell (1902–1987), American animator
- Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair (born 1964), Scottish landowner and businesswoman
- Cedric Maxwell (born 1955), American basketball player
- Celia Maxwell, American infectious disease physician and academic administrator
- Charles Maxwell (disambiguation), several people
- Charlie Maxwell (1927–2024), American baseball player
- Chenoa Maxwell (born 1969), American actress and photographer
- Chris Maxwell, several people
- Christine Maxwell (born 1950), British Internet content pioneer and educator
- Clarence L. Maxwell (1860–1909), American gunfighter and businessman
- Col Maxwell (1917–2001), Australian rugby player
- Colin Maxwell (politician) (1943–2018), politician in Saskatchewan, Canada
- Constantia Maxwell (1886–1962), Irish historian
- Corty Maxwell (1851–1925), American professional baseball umpire
- David Maxwell (disambiguation), several people
- Devonnsha Maxwell (born 1999), American football player
- Duncan Maxwell (1892–1969), Australian doctor and army officer
- Edward Maxwell (1867–1923), Canadian architect.
- Edwin Maxwell (actor) (1886–1948), Irish actor
- Edwin Maxwell, American lawyer, judge, and politician
- Elisabeth Maxwell (1921–2013), Anglo-French historian
- Elizabeth Maxwell, American voice actress
- Elsa Maxwell (1883–1963), American gossip columnist and socialite
- Enola Maxwell (1919–2003), American civil rights activist, minister, and community leader
- Frank Maxwell (1916–2004), American actor
- Gavin Maxwell (1914–1969), Scottish naturalist
- Geoffrey Maxwell (died 2025), Jamaican football player and manager
- George Maxwell (disambiguation), several people
- Gerald Maxwell (1895–1959), British First World War flying ace
- Ghislaine Maxwell (born 1961), British former socialite and convicted sex offender
- Gilbert Maxwell (1910–1979) American poet, actor, and author
- Glenn Maxwell (born 1988), Australian professional cricketer
- Graham Maxwell, American theologian
- Glenn Maxwell (born 1988), Australian cricketer
- Henry Maxwell, 7th Baron Farnham (1799–1868), Irish politician
- Howard Maxwell (born 1949), American politician
- Hu Maxwell (1860–1927), American writer
- Hugh Maxwell (1787–1873), New York County District Attorney and Collector of the Port of New York
- Ian Maxwell (disambiguation), several people
- Isabel Maxwell (born 1950), French entrepreneur
- Jackie Maxwell (born 1956), Canadian theatre director
- James Maxwell (disambiguation), several people
- Jan Maxwell (1956–2018), American actress
- Jason Maxwell (born 1972), American former professional baseball player
- Jenny Maxwell (1941–1981), American actress
- Jim Maxwell (commentator) (born 1950), Australian sports commentator
- Jim Maxwell (American football) (born 1981), American football linebacker
- Jimmy Maxwell (bandleader) (born 1953), musician and bandleader
- Jimmy Maxwell (footballer) (1889–1916), Irish footballer
- Jimmy Maxwell (trumpeter) (1917–2002), American trumpeter
- John Maxwell (disambiguation), several people
- Joseph Maxwell (disambiguation), several people
- Justin Maxwell (born 1983), American baseball outfielder
- Katherine Clerk Maxwell (1824–1886), Scottish physical scientist
- Kenneth R. Maxwell (born 1941) British historian
- Kelly Maxwell (softball), American softball player
- Kevin Maxwell (born 1959), British businessman
- Laureen Maxwell (born 2002), French high jumper
- Lilly Maxwell, the first woman to vote in Britain (1867)
- Lois Maxwell (1927–2007), Canadian actress
- Lucien Maxwell (1818–1875), American mountain man, rancher, scout, and farmer
- Luke Maxwell, English footballer
- Lukita Maxwell, Indonesian-born American actress
- Marcus Maxwell (born 1983), American football player
- Marilyn Maxwell (1921–1972), American actress
- Murray Maxwell (1775–1831), British Royal Navy officer
- Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004), American religious leader
- Nicholas Maxwell (born 1937), philosopher at UCL
- Paul Maxwell (1921–1991), Canadian actor working in Britain
- Perriton Maxwell (1868–1947), American author, editor and illustrator
- Reid Maxwell (born 2007), Canadian Paralympic swimmer
- Reginald Maxwell (disambiguation), multiple people
- Robert Maxwell (disambiguation), several people
- Roberta Maxwell (born 1941), Canadian actress
- Robin Maxwell (author) (born 1948), American writer
- Ronald F. Maxwell (born 1947), American film director and writer
- Russell Maxwell, American general
- Sammie Maxwell (born 2001), New Zealand cyclist
- Scott Maxwell (born 1964), Canadian racing driver
- Scott Maxwell (engineer) (born 1971), American engineer
- Steamer Maxwell (1890–1975), Canadian ice hockey player
- Stella Maxwell (born 1990), Belgian model
- Stephen Maxwell (1942–2012), Scottish nationalist
- Steve Maxwell (born 1952), American fitness coach
- Steve Maxwell (soccer) (1965–2024), Australian professional soccer player
- Stewart Maxwell (born 1963), Scottish politician
- Tony Maxwell, American drummer and choreographer
- Vernon Maxwell (born 1965), American basketball player
- W. B. Maxwell (William Babington Maxwell, 1866–1938), British novelist
- W. Henry Maxwell (1935–2010), American politician
- William Maxwell (disambiguation), multiple people
- Willie Maxwell, birth name of American rapper Fetty Wap
- Zerlina Maxwell (born 1981), American television personality and writer
Fictional characters
- Bob Maxwell (Coronation Street), fictional character in the British soap opera
- Bobby Maxwell (character), fictional character from the 1976 American film The Enforcer
- Chrissa Maxwell, American Girl character, "Girl of the Year" for 2009
- Duo Maxwell, in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
- Enrico Maxwell, in the manga franchise Hellsing
- Jane Maxwell, in the role-playing video game Wild Arms 3
- Johnny Maxwell, fictional character in Terry Pratchett's novels
- Nicole "Nikki" Maxwell, character in the Dork Diaries book series
- Peter Maxwell, character in The Vampire Diaries
- Peter Maxwell, in Clifford Simak's novel The Goblin Reservation
- Maxwell Edison, a serial killer who murders people with his silver hammer. From the Beatles' song Maxwell's Silver Hammer.
See also
- Maxwell baronets, created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia in 1627
- Maxwell (given name)
References
- ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. p. 495. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter. The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. p. 1727. ISBN 978-0-19-879884-2.
- ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.