AW: [SHADO] Re: PHIL MADOC

Hi,


> I tend to think of Max/Maximillion as being more of a
> common German/Austrian name.

Sorry, that's wrong.

Maximilian was a name used from Antiochia to France and up into the north. It's for one thing the name of several Christian saints, e.g.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_%28martyr%29

Like Victor or Sebastian this name has firm Christian and Roman roots and was used quite normally among Christian folks anywhere (including British ones).

Max however needs not even be derived from Maximilian, it can also be derived from Maximus or Maxwell. Wikipedia lists a variety of characters bearing the names of Max, Maximilian, Maximus and Maxwell, most of which are not German or Austrian. Just think Mad Max or Max Headroom...

Cheers

An

An:
Thanks for the information on the actual origins of Max and it is true that Maxwell had slipped my mind.

However, it is still true that Max, even if short for Maxwell, hasn't been a popular name in Britain throughout the 20th century at least and that most people in the UK would have perceived that Max was a name far more associated with Germany, wherever it actually came from originally. When it comes to naming children I suspect that perception counts as much as anything else.

Regards
John