Maxine ranks at #603 with 204 entries, registered female. The name is a Latin-derived feminine of Maximus ("greatest"), and it has been quietly riding the same vintage-revival wave that pulled Hazel, Pearl, and Mabel back into circulation on the pet side. The aesthetic is mid-century, slightly wry, with a hint of greeting-card-aunt warmth.
The vintage-revival cohort
Maxine clusters with Ruthie, Dora, Mabel, and Pearl in the same naming pocket — early-twentieth-century human names that fell out of fashion mid-century and returned on pets in the 2010s. The cohort skews toward small dogs and cats with calm, observant presence, often with a deliberate retro-aesthetic styling on the owner's social media.
Breed lean and sound
Two syllables, second-stressed (mak-SEEN), with a hard percussive opening and the long-E landing. The name lands disproportionately on small-to-medium friendly breeds — Dachshunds, Poodles, French Bulldogs, Cavaliers, and indoor cats. Most Maxines get day-to-day called Max, with the formal version on the license form and at the vet.
The pop-culture lineage
Maxine from the Hocus Pocus franchise (Bette Midler's character, with the 1993 original and 2022 sequel keeping the name visible across generations) and the Hallmark Maxine greeting-card character anchor the cultural presence. The Maxine baby name page shows the name climbing back on the SSA chart through the 2010s, riding the same vintage wave.