Abigail vs Maia
Abigail and Maiacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Abigail was ranked #57 and Maia #35 among girls in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Abigail was ranked #80 and Maia #253 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Abigail was ranked #102 and Maia #164 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Abigail was ranked #115 and Maia #213 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Abigail was ranked #273 and Maia #131 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Abigail was ranked #154 and Maia #190 among girls in England and Wales.
Abigail and Maia over time
Abigail and Maia appear together in 5 published lists, across 136 years of shared records. Abigail held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Maia in 2.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Maia reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Abigail in 2. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New Zealand · Girls, Maia moved into the top 50 at #38 in 2020 as Abigail fell out of it to #58, having been #30 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2020, Maia moved ahead of Abigail in New Zealand · Girls — #30 and #36 the year before became #58 and #38.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Abigail and Maia changed places 7 times in New Zealand · Girls between 1999 and 2023, ending at #57 and #35.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 25 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Abigail and Maia averaged 14.3 places apart, ending at #57 and #35.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Abigail #19 in 2000, Maia #176 in 2001.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Abigail held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Maia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Abigail #19 in 2000, Maia #176 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Abigail #154, Maia #190.
Norway · Girls29 shared years, 1983–2025
Abigail held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Maia in 29.
Highest recorded here: Abigail #246 in 2022, Maia #95 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Abigail #273, Maia #131.
Republic of Ireland · Girls27 shared years, 1999–2025
Abigail held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Maia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Abigail #36 in 2008, Maia #118 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Abigail #115, Maia #213.
Northern Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 1999–2024
Abigail held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Maia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Abigail #29 in 2005, Maia #132 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Abigail #80, Maia #253.
New Zealand · Girls25 shared years, 1999–2023
Abigail held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Maia in 16.
Highest recorded here: Abigail #30 in 2010, Maia #15 in 2005.
The order changed in 2020: Maia moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #30 and #36; by 2020 that had become #58 and #38.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Abigail #57, Maia #35.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Abigail | Maia |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A genuinely multi-origin name rather than one shared etymology. In Maori, maia (usually written with a macron, maia) is an adjective/noun meaning 'brave, bold, confident' — Te Aka also separately lists Maia as an alternate name for Waiti, a star in the Pleiades cluster. In Greek and Roman mythology, Maia was the eldest of the seven Pleiades, mother of Hermes by Zeus, with a proposed meaning of 'good mother', possibly a nursery-form of the word for 'mother'. It is also used as a form of Maria in Estonian and Basque. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈmai̯a/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #55 (2025) | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Maia has a recorded origin (Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque); Abigail does not have one recorded yet.
- Abigail has 3 syllables, compared with 1 for Maia.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Abigail doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Abigail
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #303 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #19 among girls in England and Wales, in 2000 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #55 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Maia
Popularity journey
First recorded1979
First recorded at #584 among girls in Norway in 1979 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1999–2023
Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in New Zealand, in 2005 (recorded 1999–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #131 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls