Girl's name
Kaia
Say it KY-uh
Estonian origin 2 syllables
Where Kaia is loved, common and rare
Common across British Columbia, Ontario and four more places. Rare in Norway, Ireland, five German cities and 11 more places.
1 in 587 girls born in Ireland in 2025
British Columbia 49thOntario 93rdNorway 129th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 24 of the 40 official lists, among them British Columbia (49th), Ontario (93rd) and Norway (129th).
Show all 24 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 45th 2025 | 71 | rank only |
| British Columbia province | 49th 2023 | 46 | about 1 in 260 |
| New South Wales state | 70th 2025 | 101 | rank only |
| Queensland state | 92nd 2025 | 54 | rank only |
| Ontario province | 93rd 2024 | 108 | about 1 in 504 |
| Victoria state | 96th 2025 | 67 | rank only |
| Norway | 129th 2025 | 44 | 1 in 495 |
| Ireland | 130th 2025 | 36 | 1 in 587 |
| Cologne city | 159th 2023 | 7 | about 1 in 878 |
| Northern Ireland | 191st 2025 | 9 | 1 in 810 |
| Berlin city | 200th 2023 | 15 | about 1 in 967 |
| Munich city | 201st 2025 | 6 | about 1 in 699 |
| Switzerland | 203rd 2025 | 35 | 1 in 971 |
| Scotland | 242nd 2025 | 15 | 1 in 1,193 |
| England and Wales | 265th 2025 | 173 | 1 in 1,464 |
| Poland | 298th 2025 | 15 | 1 in 7,986 |
| Quebec province | 387th 2025 | 13 | about 1 in 2,000 |
| The Netherlands | 392nd 2025 | 34 | about 1 in 1,795 |
| Catalonia region | 526th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 3,854 |
| Austria | 566th 2025 | 8 | 1 in 4,465 |
| Italy | 1792nd 2024 | 4 | 1 in 44,792 |
| France as Kaïa | 2317th 2025 | 15 | 1 in 19,120 |
| Leipzig city | 156th 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 875 |
| Bonn city | 173rd 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 1,005 |
Rare, below the listed names: South Australia, Rostock, Sweden, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
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.
Sources: Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), SmartStart (New Zealand); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (Data.NSW) (New South Wales); Queensland Registry of BDM (Qld Open Data Portal) (Queensland); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Registry of BDM Victoria (DataVic) (Victoria); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); NISRA (Northern Ireland); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Kaia is an Estonian girls' name, a variant of Katariina, the Estonian form of Catherine. It is also used as a girls' name in the Faroe Islands. No separate meaning is attested for Kaia itself, so it takes its history from Catherine.
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It has two syllables, KY-uh, with the stress on the first. Kaïa is an alternative spelling, and Kaja, Kaya, Kaija and Caia are close relatives.
Kaia has become especially popular in the Pacific and in Canada: it is a top-50 name in New Zealand and British Columbia and well used in New South Wales. It is also found in Norway, Switzerland and Poland. It is a name of this century, rising in most places where it appears and falling in none. In Canada it reached its highest point in 2023, and it is still gaining ground.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- KY-uh, 2 syllables
- Origin
- Estonian
- Other spellings
- Kaja
- Kaie
- Kaisa
- Kia
- Kaija
- Caia
- Kaya
Counted together here: Kaïa.
Etymology
In Estonian, a variant of Katariina (Catherine). Also a Faroese female given name.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 16 of 17 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 | 567 | 589 | 503 | 513 | 436 | 363 | 320 | 288 | 283 | 265 |
| Scotland | 502 | 501 | 502 | 765 | 293 | 442 | 324 | 281 | 244 | 242 |
| Northern Ireland | 296 | 238 | 228 | 218 | 178 | 161 | 191 | |||
| Ireland | 419 | 430 | 267 | 296 | 211 | 184 | 137 | 190 | 181 | 130 |
| Ontario | 240 | 194 | 149 | 152 | 114 | 110 | 111 | 97 | 93 | |
| British Columbia | 155 | 121 | 126 | 105 | 98 | 75 | 78 | 49 | ||
| New South Wales | 92 | 75 | 70 | |||||||
| Victoria | 93 | 96 | 96 | |||||||
| Queensland | 93 | 92 | ||||||||
| New Zealand | 99 | 82 | 73 | 46 | 35 | 45 | ||||
| Quebec | 831 | 561 | 662 | 646 | 575 | 491 | 328 | 457 | 246 | 387 |
| France | 3683 | 3622 | 3591 | 2530 | 1984 | 2509 | 3650 | 2420 | 1841 | 2317 |
| The Netherlands | 1010 | 715 | 586 | 602 | 537 | 356 | 392 | |||
| Austria | 1331 | 1048 | 1899 | 874 | 529 | 507 | 474 | 317 | 552 | 566 |
| Switzerland | 608 | 595 | 304 | 343 | 295 | 313 | 299 | 319 | 242 | 203 |
| Berlin | 985 | 332 | 398 | 210 | 301 | 260 | 200 | |||
| Munich | 260 | 258 | 200 | 148 | 201 | |||||
| Cologne | 599 | 439 | 160 | 649 | 157 | 159 | ||||
| Bonn | 512 | 264 | 392 | 176 | 223 | 173 | ||||
| Leipzig | 411 | 411 | 405 | 254 | 215 | 156 | ||||
| Norway | 228 | 174 | 139 | 196 | 159 | 129 | 132 | 133 | 111 | 129 |
| Sweden | 925 | 468 | ||||||||
| Catalonia | 611 | 526 | ||||||||
| Italy | 1236 | 2982 | 1792 | |||||||
| Poland | 377 | 491 | 301 | 419 | 445 | 456 | 648 | 540 | 374 | 298 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 265 | 173 | 68.3 |
| 2024 | 283 | 159 | 61.6 |
| 2023 | 288 | 154 | 60.0 |
| 2022 | 320 | 137 | 52.0 |
| 2021 | 363 | 127 | 46.3 |
| 2020 | 436 | 97 | 36.1 |
| 2019 | 513 | 79 | 28.2 |
| 2018 | 503 | 85 | 29.5 |
| 2017 | 589 | 72 | 24.1 |
| 2016 | 567 | 74 | 24.1 |
| 2015 | 794 | 48 | 15.6 |
| 2014 | 1005 | 36 | 11.7 |
| 2013 | 1018 | 35 | 11.3 |
| 2012 | 1210 | 27 | 8.4 |
| 2011 | 1015 | 34 | 10.6 |
| 2010 | 965 | 35 | 10.9 |
| 2009 | 850 | 40 | 12.8 |
| 2008 | 937 | 34 | 10.8 |
| 2007 | 963 | 31 | 10.1 |
| 2006 | 909 | 32 | 10.7 |
| 2005 | 931 | 29 | 10.1 |
| 2004 | 883 | 30 | 10.5 |
| 2003 | 996 | 24 | 8.6 |
| 2002 | 750 | 34 | 12.7 |
| 2001 | 796 | 30 | 11.2 |
| 2000 | 1475 | 12 | 4.4 |
| 1999 | 1317 | 14 | 5.0 |
| 1998 | 1319 | 14 | 4.8 |
| 1997 | 3824 | 3 | 1.0 |
| 1996 | 2350 | 6 | 2.0 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Kaia in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2018. First recorded in 2001. Her peak year there: 2023, at 237.8 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Kaia per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2023 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Kaia
1 in 280 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Kaia.
1 in 688 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Kaia.
1 in 636 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Kaia.
1 in 564 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Kaia.
1 in 473 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Kaia.
1 in 320 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Kaia.
1 in 394 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Kaia.
1 in 1,041 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Kaia.
1 in 338 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Kaia.
1 in 215 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Kaia.
Middle names for Kaia
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Kaia Grace
2-1 beats · initials KG
Changes the beat after Kaia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Kaia Olivia
2-4 beats · initials KO · Kaia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Kaia: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Kaia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Kaia Sophia
2-3 beats · initials KS
Changes the beat after Kaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Kaia Maria
2-3 beats · initials KM
Changes the beat after Kaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Kaia Rose
2-1 beats · initials KR
Changes the beat after Kaia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Kaia Emily
2-3 beats · initials KE · Kaia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Kaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Kaia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Kaia Julia
2-3 beats · initials KJ
Changes the beat after Kaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Kaia Miriam
2-3 beats · initials KM
Changes the beat after Kaia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Kaia
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 138 in Scotland
92% alike: moves with Kaia across countries and decades.
1 in 564 in England and Wales
91% alike: moves with Kaia across countries and decades.
1 in 67 in Scotland
91% alike: moves with Kaia across countries and decades.
1 in 344 in England and Wales
91% alike: moves with Kaia across countries and decades.
1 in 320 in Scotland
90% alike: moves with Kaia across countries and decades.
1 in 852 in Scotland
90% alike: moves with Kaia across countries and decades.
1 in 280 in Northern Ireland
90% alike: moves with Kaia across countries and decades.
1 in 215 in England and Wales
90% alike: moves with Kaia across countries and decades.
Famous people named Kaia
Kaia Kanepi and Kaia Gerber.
Show all 2Show less
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Estonian tennis player (born 1985)
-
American model and actress (born 2001)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Kaia
4 questions, on how popular she is, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Kaia?
Her best rank is No. 45 in New Zealand in 2025. She is in the published lists of 24 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Kaia?
KY-uh, with 2 syllables.
Is Kaia getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 16 of 17 regions, falling in none.
Which sister names go with Kaia?
The deck's top five sisters for Kaia: Raya, Aaliyah, Amaya, Amara and Anaya. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.