Girl's name
Gaia
Say it GY-uh
Greek origin Gaea, the Earth personified as a goddess
2 syllables
Where Gaia is loved, common and rare
Common across Italy, Israel and Catalonia. Rare in Switzerland, Poland, France and eight more places.
1 in 2,982 girls born in Scotland in 2025
Italy 21stIsrael 28thCatalonia 94th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 14 of the 40 official lists, among them Italy (21st), Israel (28th) and Catalonia (94th).
Show all 14 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 21st 2024 | 1,447 | 1 in 124 |
| Israel גאיה | 28th 2024 | 575 | about 1 in 136 |
| Catalonia region | 94th 2025 | 45 | 1 in 428 |
| Switzerland | 160th 2025 | 58 | 1 in 586 |
| Poland | 241st 2025 | 26 | 1 in 4,607 |
| France as Gaïa | 396th 2025 | 155 | 1 in 1,850 |
| The Netherlands | 420th 2025 | 31 | about 1 in 1,968 |
| Scotland | 474th 2025 | 6 | 1 in 2,982 |
| Quebec province | 500th 2025 | 9 | about 1 in 2,889 |
| England and Wales | 520th 2025 | 77 | 1 in 3,289 |
| Sweden | 604th 2025 | 9 | about 1 in 4,463 |
| Cologne city | 630th 2023 | 1 | about 1 in 6,143 |
| Austria | 858th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 8,930 |
| Bonn city | 382nd 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 3,015 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, Ireland, Ontario, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Berlin, Munich, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Spain, Hungary and Slovenia.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Israel publishes names in Hebrew script. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) (Israel); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
From the Ancient Greek Gaîă, 'Gaea, the Earth personified as a goddess', comes the name Gaia. In Greek mythology she is the primordial Earth, mother of the Titans. The word is probably related to gê, 'earth, land'.
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Two syllables, said GY-uh, with the stress on the first. Gaïa is the French spelling, and Gaja, Gia and Jaia are related forms.
Italy and Israel are its strongest countries, where it is a top-30 name, and it is also popular in Catalonia. English-speaking countries use it less, with modest numbers in Scotland, Quebec, and England and Wales. French records show it peaking in 2023, and it is rising in several regions and falling in none.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- GY-uh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
Gaea, the Earth personified as a goddess
- Origin
- Greek
- Other spellings
- Gaja
- Gia
- Jaïa
- Jaia
- Caia
Counted together here: Gaïa.
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Γαῖᾰ (Gaîă, “Gaea, the Earth personified as a goddess”), from γαῖᾰ (gaîă, “the Earth”), probably related to γῆ (gê, “earth, land; country”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 7 of 12 regions, falling in none.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 1142 | 836 | 843 | 616 | 624 | 634 | 447 | 490 | 526 | 520 |
| Scotland | 808 | 809 | 560 | 765 | 792 | 625 | 630 | 474 | ||
| Ireland | 750 | 579 | 629 | 502 | 628 | 883 | 905 | 555 | 412 | |
| Ontario | 1347 | 1240 | 1419 | 896 | 1156 | |||||
| British Columbia | 515 | |||||||||
| Quebec | 445 | 443 | 503 | 496 | 534 | 432 | 384 | 500 | ||
| France | 546 | 524 | 435 | 403 | 359 | 374 | 337 | 326 | 396 | 396 |
| The Netherlands | 609 | 503 | 460 | 391 | 399 | 469 | 343 | 313 | 420 | |
| Switzerland | 199 | 224 | 237 | 281 | 219 | 158 | 165 | 168 | 175 | 160 |
| Berlin | 803 | 574 | 782 | 812 | 332 | |||||
| Munich | 196 | 226 | 194 | |||||||
| Rostock | 199 | |||||||||
| Sweden | 717 | 604 | 604 | |||||||
| Catalonia | 273 | 203 | 179 | 140 | 165 | 118 | 82 | 97 | 112 | 94 |
| Italy | 15 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 23 | 21 | |
| Poland | 276 | 235 | 243 | 258 | 267 | 194 | 235 | 260 | 261 | 241 |
| Slovenia | 209 | 183 | 177 | 174 | 223 | |||||
| Israel | 41 | 37 | 39 | 39 | 30 | 33 | 25 | 32 | 28 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 520 | 77 | 30.4 |
| 2024 | 526 | 74 | 28.7 |
| 2023 | 490 | 81 | 31.6 |
| 2022 | 447 | 95 | 36.1 |
| 2021 | 634 | 61 | 22.3 |
| 2020 | 624 | 61 | 22.7 |
| 2019 | 616 | 64 | 22.9 |
| 2018 | 843 | 44 | 15.3 |
| 2017 | 836 | 46 | 15.4 |
| 2016 | 1142 | 30 | 9.8 |
| 2015 | 1139 | 30 | 9.7 |
| 2014 | 890 | 42 | 13.7 |
| 2013 | 1537 | 20 | 6.5 |
| 2012 | 1037 | 34 | 10.6 |
| 2011 | 1225 | 26 | 8.1 |
| 2010 | 1180 | 27 | 8.4 |
| 2009 | 1209 | 25 | 8.0 |
| 2008 | 1247 | 23 | 7.3 |
| 2007 | 1196 | 23 | 7.5 |
| 2006 | 1280 | 20 | 6.7 |
| 2005 | 1589 | 14 | 4.9 |
| 2004 | 1252 | 18 | 6.3 |
| 2003 | 1176 | 19 | 6.8 |
| 2002 | 1192 | 17 | 6.4 |
| 2001 | 1063 | 19 | 7.1 |
| 2000 | 1831 | 9 | 3.3 |
| 1999 | 1805 | 9 | 3.2 |
| 1998 | 1571 | 11 | 3.8 |
| 1997 | 1365 | 13 | 4.4 |
| 1996 | 2096 | 7 | 2.4 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Gaia in France since 1925 were born in or after 2016. First recorded in 1981. Her peak year there: 2023, at 64.6 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Gaia per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2023 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Gaia
1 in 4,444 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Gaia.
1 in 2,556 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Gaia. Same first letter as Gaia.
1 in 1,195 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Gaia.
1 in 1,457 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Gaia.
1 in 859 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Gaia.
1 in 5,282 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Gaia.
1 in 1,627 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Gaia.
1 in 2,508 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Gaia.
1 in 4,690 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Gaia.
1 in 3,725 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Gaia.
Middle names for Gaia
1 in 71 in Scotland
Gaia Olivia
2-4 beats · initials GO · Gaia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Gaia: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Gaia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Gaia Sophia
2-3 beats · initials GS
Changes the beat after Gaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Gaia Grace
2-1 beats · initials GG
Changes the beat after Gaia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Gaia Maria
2-3 beats · initials GM
Changes the beat after Gaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Gaia Rose
2-1 beats · initials GR
Changes the beat after Gaia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Gaia Emily
2-3 beats · initials GE · Gaia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Gaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Gaia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Gaia Julia
2-3 beats · initials GJ
Changes the beat after Gaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Gaia Miriam
2-3 beats · initials GM
Changes the beat after Gaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Gaia
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 617 in Scotland
87% alike: moves with Gaia across countries and decades.
1 in 960 in Ireland
86% alike: moves with Gaia across countries and decades.
1 in 3,018 in Ireland
85% alike: moves with Gaia across countries and decades.
1 in 3,166 in England and Wales
85% alike: moves with Gaia across countries and decades.
1 in 743 in England and Wales
85% alike: moves with Gaia across countries and decades.
1 in 1,195 in England and Wales
85% alike: moves with Gaia across countries and decades.
1 in 2,236 in Scotland
84% alike: moves with Gaia across countries and decades.
1 in 1,627 in Scotland
84% alike: moves with Gaia across countries and decades.
Famous people named Gaia
Gaia Weiss, Gaia Zucchi, Gaia Cauchi and Gaia Bassani Antivari.
Show all 4Show less
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French actress and model born 1991
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Italian actress, showgirl and writer born 1970
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Maltese singer born 2002
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Italian-Azerbaijani alpine skier born 1978
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Gaia
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Gaia?
Her best rank is No. 21 in Italy in 2024, about 1 in 124 girls. She is in the published lists of 14 of our 40 regions.
What does Gaia mean?
Wiktionary glosses Gaia as "Gaea, the Earth personified as a goddess".
How do you pronounce Gaia?
GY-uh, with 2 syllables.
Is Gaia getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 7 of 12 regions, falling in none.
Which sister names go with Gaia?
The deck's top five sisters for Gaia: Nour, Gabriela, Aya, Naya and Inaya. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.