Maxey
A habitational surname meaning “from Maxey,” a place-name in Northamptonshire.
The #3,372 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,171 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Maxey is generally understood as a locational surname, originally meaning a person from the parish of Maxey in Northamptonshire. The place-name itself is old and probably comes from an early English or pre-English element, though the exact place-name etymology is not secure from these excerpts alone. In surname use, it simply identified someone who had moved away from Maxey, and later became hereditary.
History
Nineteenth-century surname writers consistently treat Maxey as a local surname from Maxey, Northamptonshire. One excerpt notes that bearers of the name appear early in London records, which fits the common pattern of place-based surnames spreading through migration to the cities. Variant spellings such as Maxoy, Mazoey, and Maxse show how the name could be written before spelling was standardized.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A few old sources group Maxey with surnames like Maxse and Moxey, reflecting the loose medieval and early-modern spelling of English names.
From the historical record
“Minkkip, war Ripu, i. Maxey, Maxay, Uaxoey.— Local, 'of Maxey,' a parish in co. Northampton. A member of this family seems to have settled early in London, whence occasional regittnitions in the City churches.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances