In a galaxy of baby names, one name shines bright
In the galaxy of potential baby names to choose for your little one, one has rocketed to the top of our charts during an action-packed week.
In case you missed it, astronaut parents dominated the news last week.
Artemis II pilot Victor Glover is a proud girl dad whose daughter Maya has been lighting up the internet. And the Artemis crew honored astronaut Reid Wiseman’s wife Carroll, a NICU nurse, by naming a moon crater after her.
Emily Calandrelli, the 100th woman in space, gave birth to her second child last week. And after years of infertility and loss, fellow astronaut Kellie Gerardi announced the birth of her second daughter on April 5.
It is the name Gerardi gave her daughter that we want to highlight today: Maxine.
Gerardi and her husband, Steven Baumruk, named their newborn Maxine Quinn, or Max Q for short, a choice that carries a distinctly space-inspired meaning. Max Q refers to the point in a rocket’s ascent when the pressure from the surrounding air is at its highest, a brief but critical phase of flight, according to The Space Techie.
Maxine joins big sister Delta Victoria, whose name also draws from rocket science by referencing the term Delta-v, a measure of change in velocity.
More space-related baby names:
- 126 baby names inspired by space
- 151 celestial baby names for boys and girls, inspired by the stars, planets, and sky
- These 122 astrology-inspired baby names are written in the stars
- The best eclipse-inspired baby names for boys and girls
According to the Social Security Administration data, Maxine shot to the Top 100 baby names between 1915 and 1930. It hit a low point in popularity between 1974 and 1996, and it has grown slowly ever since. But it’s still far from being an overused name. In 2024, Maxine was the 520th most popular girls’ name in America.
According to Nameberry, Maxine has a Latin origin meaning “greatest,” but we prefer the meaning Gerardi gave the name.
In addition to the fitting space-y vibe of Max Q as a nickname for Maxine, it gives a brief nod to the pressure surrounding Gerardi as she and her husband struggled to grow their family.
Plus, it perfectly aligns with the trend of using traditionally masculine names for girls.
All in all, we think Maxine is out of this world.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
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