Maverick
Meaning
independent, nonconformist
Famously borne by 19th-century Texas rancher Samuel Maverick. Immortalized by Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun (1986).
The story
Maverick began with a person before it became a personality. Samuel Augustus Maverick was a nineteenth-century Texas rancher whose unbranded cattle helped turn his surname into an English word for an independent person. The given name came later, carrying that word's modern sense rather than an ancient translation. Its US curve is almost empty through the twentieth century, shows a small first movement in the 2000s, rises sharply in the 2010s, and reaches its highest point in the 2020s. The record proves the timing, not why each family chose it. Western imagery, the everyday word, and popular culture all sit around the name, but no single influence owns the climb. Maverick is a rare name whose route from surname to vocabulary word to birth certificate can still be followed, and whose current popularity is much younger than the story behind the word.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Maverick peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
31 people · the #92,291 first name in Brazil · median age 24
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Maverick
Most people given the name Maverick in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Maverick deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Maverick truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Maverick fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
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