Maverick
Maverick Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity
MAV-er-ik
Meaning of Maverick: Maverick entered English in the 1860s as an eponym drawn from Samuel Augustus Maverick, a Texas cattleman and lawyer who notoriously refused to brand his calves. Ranch hands began calling any unbranded stray a maverick, as detailed on Britannica.
By the 1880s the term had crossed from cattle country into general American English, where it described an independent-minded person who refused to follow the herd. Dictionaries added the figurative meaning within a generation, and political journalists applied it to senators and judges who broke with party lines.
The 1957 Warner Brothers television western Maverick, starring James Garner as a roguish card-sharp, pushed the word into popular culture and lodged it firmly as a byword for charm paired with rule-bending. Reruns and the 1994 film remake kept the association alive across three American generations.
What Does Maverick Mean? Origin & Etymology
According to US Social Security Administration records, Maverick first entered the boys' top 1000 in 1995 following the 1986 release of Top Gun, where Tom Cruise played Pete Mitchell, callsign Maverick. The name climbed into the top 500 by 2003 and the top 100 in 2017.
As of 2024, Maverick holds rank 36 with 6,615 US births, marking its all-time peak. The 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick reignited interest, pushing the name up six ranks year over year. It performs strongest in Texas, Oklahoma, and the mountain west, reflecting its cowboy roots.
Variants across languages are minimal because Maverick remains a distinctly American coinage. The short form Mav appears as an informal nickname, and spellings such as Maveric and Maveryck have emerged on birth certificates. Notably, the name also supports the feminine forms Mavyn and Mavis in a few state registries.
How Popular Is Maverick?
Numerology & Symbolism of Maverick
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Maverick – Similar Names & Alternatives
Not seeing what you want? Browse all names by origin or popularity
Frequently Asked Questions about Maverick
What does Maverick mean?
Maverick means an unbranded calf or independent thinker. It derives from the surname of Texas rancher Samuel Maverick (1803-1870), whose unbranded cattle gave rise to the English word for nonconformist.
What is the origin of Maverick?
Maverick comes from Samuel Maverick’s surname. The 1986 Top Gun character Pete Maverick Mitchell boosted it as a given name. The 2022 Top Gun: Maverick sequel drove a measurable registration spike.
How popular is Maverick in the US?
Maverick ranks 36 for boys in the US as of 2024, per SSA data. It entered the top 50 in 2017 and the top 40 in 2020. Maverick is especially popular in Western US states.
What are variants of Maverick?
Is Maverick more popular for girls or boys?
Maverick is given predominantly to boys. It ranks 36 for boys in the US in 2024 and does not appear in the top 1000 girls’ names.