Girl's name
Maia
Say it MY-uh
Roots in Greek and Latin possibly lady
2 syllables
Where Maia is loved, common and rare
Common across Spain and one more place. Rare in Norway, three German cities, France and 13 more places.
1 in 993 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
Catalonia 66thNorway 130thFrance 162nd
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 21 of the 40 official lists, among them Catalonia (66th), Norway (130th) and France (162nd).
Show all 21 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 32nd 2025 | 89 | rank only |
| Catalonia region | 66th 2025 | 67 | 1 in 288 |
| Spain | 94th 2024 | 273 | rank only |
| Norway | 130th 2025 | 42 | 1 in 519 |
| France as Maïa | 162nd 2025 | 365 | 1 in 786 |
| England and Wales | 197th 2025 | 255 | 1 in 993 |
| British Columbia province | 203rd 2023 | 15 | about 1 in 797 |
| Ireland | 213th 2025 | 20 | 1 in 1,056 |
| Scotland | 256th 2025 | 14 | 1 in 1,278 |
| Italy | 268th 2024 | 64 | 1 in 2,800 |
| Northern Ireland | 290th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 1,457 |
| Quebec province | 297th 2025 | 18 | about 1 in 1,445 |
| Berlin city | 306th 2023 | 10 | about 1 in 1,450 |
| Sweden | 315th 2025 | 23 | about 1 in 1,746 |
| Poland | 321st 2025 | 13 | 1 in 9,214 |
| Ontario province | 327th 2024 | 39 | about 1 in 1,397 |
| Austria | 381st 2025 | 13 | 1 in 2,748 |
| Cologne city | 419th 2023 | 2 | about 1 in 3,072 |
| The Netherlands | 454th 2025 | 28 | about 1 in 2,179 |
| Switzerland | 510th 2025 | 19 | 1 in 1,789 |
| Leipzig city | 156th 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 875 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Munich, Bonn, Rostock, 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); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) (Spain); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
In Greek mythology Maia is the daughter of Atlas and the mother of Hermes, and her name may come from a Greek word meaning 'lady'. The Roman goddess Maia has a separate and uncertain origin, possibly from a root meaning 'great'. Maia is also used as a variant of Maya.
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It has two syllables, MY-uh, with the stress on the first. Maïa is the French spelling, and Maya, Maja, Maija and Moya are close relatives.
Maia is a top-40 name in New Zealand and is well used in England and Wales and British Columbia. In continental Europe it is found in Catalonia, Spain and Norway. In France it reached its peak around 2009, and it is now rising in some places and falling in others in roughly equal measure, a steady name rather than a fashionable surge.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- MY-uh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
possibly lady
- Origin
- Greek and Latin
Counted together here: Maía and Maïa.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek Maia (daughter of Atlas, mother of Hermes), from maia 'lady'. The Roman goddess Maia is of uncertain origin, possibly from a root meaning 'great'. Also a variant of Maya.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 5 of 19 regions, falling in 4.
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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 | 236 | 224 | 176 | 218 | 193 | 210 | 184 | 196 | 190 | 197 |
| Scotland | 199 | 174 | 213 | 206 | 257 | 245 | 232 | 173 | 164 | 256 |
| Northern Ireland | 276 | 239 | 434 | 213 | 166 | 266 | 243 | 209 | 253 | 290 |
| Ireland | 170 | 158 | 134 | 196 | 152 | 242 | 150 | 183 | 126 | 213 |
| Ontario | 299 | 387 | 276 | 274 | 343 | 248 | 269 | 254 | 327 | |
| British Columbia | 200 | 171 | 143 | 184 | 272 | 231 | 134 | 203 | ||
| New Zealand | 36 | 49 | 40 | 35 | 37 | 34 | 38 | 34 | 51 | 32 |
| Quebec | 344 | 561 | 337 | 410 | 322 | 312 | 266 | 242 | 273 | 297 |
| France | 286 | 253 | 270 | 268 | 224 | 230 | 195 | 222 | 197 | 162 |
| The Netherlands | 836 | 731 | 664 | 662 | 434 | 594 | 415 | 454 | ||
| Austria | 468 | 346 | 664 | 665 | 736 | 758 | 437 | 364 | 504 | 381 |
| Switzerland | 896 | 546 | 567 | 773 | 527 | 392 | 420 | 439 | 438 | 510 |
| Berlin | 498 | 472 | 382 | 233 | 378 | 999 | 468 | 306 | ||
| Munich | 139 | 238 | 170 | |||||||
| Bonn | 512 | 365 | 359 | 371 | 168 | 362 | ||||
| Leipzig | 253 | 193 | 406 | 262 | 357 | 156 | ||||
| Rostock | 199 | 197 | ||||||||
| Norway | 156 | 147 | 139 | 126 | 95 | 117 | 122 | 124 | 129 | 130 |
| Sweden | 617 | 410 | 476 | 337 | 512 | 387 | 361 | 313 | 315 | |
| Spain | 86 | 98 | 94 | |||||||
| Catalonia | 95 | 83 | 87 | 78 | 79 | 57 | 61 | 93 | 65 | 66 |
| Italy | 225 | 205 | 211 | 215 | 219 | 248 | 229 | 250 | 268 | |
| Poland | 276 | 283 | 402 | 389 | 445 | 357 | 440 | 336 | 317 | 321 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 197 | 255 | 100.7 |
| 2024 | 190 | 254 | 98.5 |
| 2023 | 196 | 253 | 98.6 |
| 2022 | 184 | 280 | 106.3 |
| 2021 | 210 | 243 | 88.7 |
| 2020 | 193 | 257 | 95.7 |
| 2019 | 218 | 225 | 80.3 |
| 2018 | 176 | 309 | 107.2 |
| 2017 | 224 | 226 | 75.6 |
| 2016 | 236 | 219 | 71.3 |
| 2015 | 220 | 237 | 77.0 |
| 2014 | 238 | 207 | 67.5 |
| 2013 | 240 | 207 | 67.1 |
| 2012 | 215 | 232 | 72.0 |
| 2011 | 218 | 228 | 71.0 |
| 2010 | 214 | 236 | 73.5 |
| 2009 | 198 | 258 | 82.3 |
| 2008 | 182 | 287 | 90.9 |
| 2007 | 205 | 251 | 82.0 |
| 2006 | 225 | 216 | 72.2 |
| 2005 | 255 | 175 | 60.7 |
| 2004 | 244 | 185 | 64.7 |
| 2003 | 211 | 223 | 80.0 |
| 2002 | 224 | 188 | 70.3 |
| 2001 | 176 | 240 | 89.6 |
| 2000 | 213 | 200 | 73.2 |
| 1999 | 240 | 170 | 60.3 |
| 1998 | 349 | 96 | 33.2 |
| 1997 | 456 | 64 | 21.8 |
| 1996 | 753 | 30 | 10.1 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Maia in France since 1925 were born in or after 2011. First recorded in 1968. Her peak year there: 2009, at 128.3 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Maia per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2009 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 Maia
1 in 1,025 in England and Wales
1 in 298 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Maia.
1 in 334 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maia.
1 in 190 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Maia.
1 in 2,222 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maia. Ends in -ia, like Maia.
1 in 166 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Maia.
1 in 1,041 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Maia. Ends in -ia, like Maia.
1 in 778 in Scotland
1 in 1,415 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Maia. Same first letter as Maia.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Maryam.
1 in 607 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Maia.
Middle names for Maia
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Maia Grace
2-1 beats · initials MG
Changes the beat after Maia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Maia Olivia
2-4 beats · initials MO · Maia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Maia: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Maia slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Maia Sophia
2-3 beats · initials MS
Changes the beat after Maia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Maia Rose
2-1 beats · initials MR
Changes the beat after Maia: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Maia Maria
2-3 beats · initials MM
Changes the beat after Maia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Maia Emily
2-3 beats · initials ME · Maia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Maia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Maia slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Maia Julia
2-3 beats · initials MJ
Changes the beat after Maia: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Maia Charlotte
2-2 beats · initials MC
A close match on style, era and popularity. Same length as Maia: 2 syllables.
Same style as Maia
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 307 in England and Wales
94% alike: moves with Maia across countries and decades.
1 in 587 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Maia across countries and decades.
1 in 298 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Maia across countries and decades.
1 in 658 in England and Wales
93% alike: moves with Maia across countries and decades.
1 in 606 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Maia across countries and decades.
1 in 924 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Maia across countries and decades.
1 in 1,415 in England and Wales
92% alike: moves with Maia across countries and decades.
1 in 132 in Scotland
92% alike: moves with Maia across countries and decades.
Famous people named Maia
Maia Sandu, Maia Chiburdanidze, Maia Mitchell, Maia Morgenstern, Maia Reficco, Maia Panjikidze, Maia Shibutani and Maia Weintraub.
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President of Moldova since 2020 born 1972
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Georgian chess grandmaster born 1961
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Australian actress (born 1993)
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Romanian actress born 1962
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American actress born 2000
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Georgian diplomat born 1960
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American ice dancer born 1994
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American fencer (born 2002)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Maia
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Maia?
Her best rank is No. 32 in New Zealand in 2025. She is in the published lists of 21 of our 40 regions.
What does Maia mean?
Wiktionary glosses Maia as "possibly lady".
How do you pronounce Maia?
MY-uh, with 2 syllables.
Is Maia getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 5 of 19 regions, falling in 4.
Which sister names go with Maia?
The deck's top five sisters for Maia: Ariana, Thea, Iris, Zoe and Natalia. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.