Girl's name
Kaja
Say it KY-uh
Latin origin 2 syllables
Where Kaja is loved, common and rare
Common across Slovenia, Poland, Norway and two more places. Rare in four German cities, Austria, Switzerland and three more places.
1 in 7,042 girls born in Ireland in 2025
Slovenia 31stPoland 34thNorway 57th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 14 of the 40 official lists, among them Slovenia (31st), Poland (34th) and Norway (57th).
Show all 14 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 31st 2025 | 53 | about 1 in 125 |
| Poland | 34th 2025 | 1,147 | 1 in 104 |
| Norway | 57th 2025 | 113 | 1 in 193 |
| Cologne city | 258th 2023 | 4 | about 1 in 1,536 |
| Berlin city | 277th 2023 | 11 | about 1 in 1,319 |
| Austria | 438th 2025 | 11 | 1 in 3,247 |
| Switzerland | 445th 2025 | 15 | 1 in 2,266 |
| The Netherlands | 737th 2025 | 15 | about 1 in 4,068 |
| Ireland | 885th 2025 | 3 | 1 in 7,042 |
| England and Wales | 1809th 2025 | 16 | 1 in 15,830 |
| Croatia | 33rd 2025 | 121 | rank only |
| Rostock city | 92nd 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 492 |
| Leipzig city | 156th 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 875 |
| Bonn city | 249th 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 1,508 |
Rare, below the listed names: Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, France, Munich, Sweden, Spain, Catalonia, Italy, Hungary 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) and Argentina (top 20).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Statistični urad Republike Slovenije (SURS), SiStat (Slovenia); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Ministarstvo pravosuđa, uprave i digitalne transformacije (Matica rođenih) (Croatia); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Kaja is described as a 20th-century creation from the word kaja, meaning 'echo'. It is also read as a variant of Kaia, from Katariina, a form of Catherine. Both explanations are given, so the name can be understood either way.
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Two syllables, said KY-uh, with the j pronounced like an English y. Kaia, Kaya, Caja and Kajsa are related forms, and Gaja is similar in shape.
It is a strong name in central and eastern Europe, ranking among the top 35 in Slovenia, Croatia and Poland. In English-speaking countries it is rare, with small numbers in Ireland and England and Wales. There are no long-term historical records for it in the data, and it is broadly steady in the regions where it is recorded.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- KY-uh, 2 syllables
- Origin
- Latin
- Other spellings
- Gaja
- Kaia
- Kaija
- Caja
- Kaya
- Kajsa
Etymology
20th century creation from kaja (“echo”). Also interpreted as a variant of Kaia, from Katariina (“Catherine”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 3 of 11 regions, falling in 2.
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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 | 735 | 715 | 657 | 664 | 735 | 828 | 1452 | 1469 | 1449 | 1809 |
| Scotland | 585 | 570 | 583 | 650 | 544 | 558 | ||||
| Ireland | 390 | 324 | 267 | 621 | 410 | 517 | 559 | 856 | 736 | 885 |
| The Netherlands | 680 | 637 | 765 | 664 | 530 | 630 | 874 | 479 | 737 | |
| Austria | 502 | 669 | 601 | 754 | 404 | 597 | 437 | 385 | 305 | 438 |
| Switzerland | 896 | 570 | 477 | 490 | 496 | 445 | 560 | 514 | 560 | 445 |
| Berlin | 498 | 379 | 210 | 298 | 378 | 325 | 204 | 277 | ||
| Cologne | 276 | 599 | 439 | 332 | 320 | 223 | 252 | 258 | ||
| Bonn | 365 | 226 | 237 | 419 | 181 | 223 | 249 | |||
| Leipzig | 375 | 189 | 378 | 265 | 164 | 186 | 130 | 357 | 156 | |
| Rostock | 184 | 126 | 133 | 122 | 174 | 158 | 92 | |||
| Norway | 72 | 76 | 49 | 62 | 68 | 75 | 65 | 71 | 70 | 57 |
| Sweden | 988 | |||||||||
| Denmark | 47 | |||||||||
| Iceland | 181 | 208 | ||||||||
| Poland | 38 | 39 | 38 | 34 | 33 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 34 |
| Slovenia | 19 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 44 | 27 | 31 |
| Croatia | 33 |
England and Wales, 1997 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1809 | 16 | 6.3 |
| 2024 | 1449 | 22 | 8.5 |
| 2023 | 1469 | 21 | 8.2 |
| 2022 | 1452 | 21 | 8.0 |
| 2021 | 828 | 43 | 15.7 |
| 2020 | 735 | 50 | 18.6 |
| 2019 | 664 | 59 | 21.1 |
| 2018 | 657 | 61 | 21.2 |
| 2017 | 715 | 57 | 19.1 |
| 2016 | 735 | 54 | 17.6 |
| 2015 | 871 | 42 | 13.6 |
| 2014 | 779 | 50 | 16.3 |
| 2013 | 725 | 55 | 17.8 |
| 2012 | 779 | 50 | 15.5 |
| 2011 | 841 | 43 | 13.4 |
| 2010 | 801 | 45 | 14.0 |
| 2009 | 1004 | 32 | 10.2 |
| 2008 | 1447 | 19 | 6.0 |
| 2007 | 2233 | 10 | 3.3 |
| 2006 | 2137 | 10 | 3.3 |
| 2005 | 3382 | 5 | 1.7 |
| 2004 | 3197 | 5 | 1.7 |
| 2003 | 3099 | 5 | 1.8 |
| 2002 | 2301 | 7 | 2.6 |
| 2001 | 3998 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 1999 | 3900 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 1998 | 3142 | 4 | 1.4 |
| 1997 | 3824 | 3 | 1.0 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Sister names for Kaja
1 in 4,473 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Kaja.
1 in 5,964 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Kaja.
1 in 7,042 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Kaja.
1 in 4,473 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Kaja.
1 in 3,521 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Kaja.
1 in 3,521 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Kaja. Same first letter as Kaja.
1 in 42,214 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Kaja.
1 in 18,092 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Kaja.
1 in 2,236 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Kaja.
1 in 19,483 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Kaja. Same first letter as Kaja.
Middle names for Kaja
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Kaja Grace
2-1 beats · initials KG
Changes the beat after Kaja: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Kaja Olivia
2-4 beats · initials KO · Kaja slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Kaja: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Kaja slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Kaja Sophia
2-3 beats · initials KS
Changes the beat after Kaja: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Kaja Maria
2-3 beats · initials KM
Changes the beat after Kaja: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Kaja Rose
2-1 beats · initials KR
Changes the beat after Kaja: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Kaja Emily
2-3 beats · initials KE · Kaja slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Kaja: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Kaja slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Kaja Julia
2-3 beats · initials KJ
Changes the beat after Kaja: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Kaja Miriam
2-3 beats · initials KM
Changes the beat after Kaja: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Kaja
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 4,225 in Ireland
87% alike: moves with Kaja across countries and decades.
1 in 3,521 in Ireland
86% alike: moves with Kaja across countries and decades.
1 in 4,225 in Ireland
85% alike: moves with Kaja across countries and decades.
1 in 5,964 in Scotland
85% alike: moves with Kaja across countries and decades.
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
85% alike: moves with Kaja across countries and decades.
1 in 3,018 in Ireland
84% alike: moves with Kaja across countries and decades.
1 in 19,483 in England and Wales
84% alike: moves with Kaja across countries and decades.
1 in 4,473 in Scotland
83% alike: moves with Kaja across countries and decades.
Famous people named Kaja
Kaja Kallas and Kaja Juvan.
Show all 2Show less
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Estonian politician and former prime minister of Estonia (born 1977)
-
Slovenian tennis player born 2000
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Kaja
4 questions, on how popular she is, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 4 questionsShow less
How popular is Kaja?
Her best rank is No. 31 in Slovenia in 2025, about 1 in 125 girls. She is in the published lists of 14 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Kaja?
KY-uh, with 2 syllables.
Is Kaja getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 3 of 11 regions, falling in 2.
Which sister names go with Kaja?
The deck's top five sisters for Kaja: Antonina, Wiktoria, Marcelina, Oliwia and Aleksandra. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.