maksim

Maksim is a masculine given name used across several Slavic countries and in diaspora communities. It is derived from the Latin Maximus, meaning "greatest," which entered Greek as Maximos and was carried into the Slavic world through early Christian usage. In Cyrillic, the standard form is Максим, used in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The name has also been adopted in non-Slavic languages in its Latinized forms, such as Maxim.

In Ukrainian, a common variant is Maksym; in many contexts, the name is transliterated as Maxim in English. The form Maksim is common in Russia and neighboring regions. Diminutives include Maks, Maksik, and Maksimo; there are related surnames such as Maksimov or Maksimenko derived from the given name.

Notable people with the given name include the Russian writer Maksim Gorky (pseudonym of Alexei Maksimovich Peshkov) and the Ukrainian-American dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, among others. The name is widely used in literature, arts, sports and public life in Eastern Europe and among Slavic-speaking communities worldwide.