Namewise

Alyssa vs Maia

Alyssa 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 2013, Alyssa was ranked #76 and Maia #28 among girls in New Zealand.

  • Scotland · Girls

    In 2024, Alyssa was ranked #171 and Maia #164 among girls in Scotland.

  • England and Wales · Girls

    In 2024, Alyssa was ranked #285 and Maia #190 among girls in England and Wales.

  • Republic of Ireland · Girls

    In 2025, Alyssa was ranked #325 and Maia #213 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

  • Northern Ireland · Girls

    In 2024, Alyssa was ranked #337 and Maia #253 among girls in Northern Ireland.

Alyssa and Maia over time

Alyssa and Maia appear together in 4 published lists, across 95 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Alyssa in 1.

The order between them changed and held in 2 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 2 of those lists, Alyssa in 1. 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 #28 in 2004 as Alyssa fell out of it to #55, having been #37 the year before.

  • One moved ahead of the other

    In 2004, Maia moved ahead of Alyssa in New Zealand · Girls — #37 and #43 the year before became #55 and #28.

  • Repeatedly exchanged positions

    Alyssa and Maia changed places 10 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 2001 and 2024, ending at #337 and #253.

  • Peaked in the same years

    Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Alyssa #37 in 2003, Maia #15 in 2005.

List by list

  • England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024

    Alyssa held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Maia in 15.

    Highest recorded here: Alyssa #144 in 2004, Maia #176 in 2001.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Alyssa #285, Maia #190.

  • Republic of Ireland · Girls27 shared years, 1999–2025

    Alyssa held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Maia in 16.

    Highest recorded here: Alyssa #172 in 2015, Maia #118 in 2015.

    The order changed in 2022: Maia moved ahead. In 2021 they stood at #204 and #242; by 2022 that had become #186 and #150.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Alyssa #325, Maia #213.

  • Northern Ireland · Girls24 shared years, 2001–2024

    Alyssa held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Maia in 10.

    Highest recorded here: Alyssa #137 in 2016, Maia #132 in 2003.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Alyssa #337, Maia #253.

  • New Zealand · Girls15 shared years, 1999–2013

    Alyssa held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Maia in 10.

    Highest recorded here: Alyssa #37 in 2003, Maia #15 in 2005.

    The order changed in 2004: Maia moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #37 and #43; by 2004 that had become #55 and #28.

    Most recent shared year, 2013: Alyssa #76, Maia #28.

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.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Alyssa

Pairs where Alyssa shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other comparisons involving Maia

Pairs where Maia shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other pairs with the same kind of relationship

Pairs that qualify under the same rule as this one — one took the other's place near the top.

All one took the other's place near the top→

Other pairs from New Zealand lists

Pairs measured inside New Zealand's own published lists, where this pair's strongest relationship is also recorded. Positions in these lists are not comparable with another registrar's.

New Zealand overview→

Other pairs ranked together in the 2010s

Pairs both ranked in the same published list at some point between 2010 and 2019.

The 2010s across all registrars→

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Alyssa, Maia
FieldAlyssaMaia
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Editorially researched profile
Gender usagefemalefemale
MeaningNot yet recordedA 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.
OriginNot yet recordedGenuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque
PronunciationNot yet recorded/ˈmai̯a/
Syllables31
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Girls #325 (2025)Norway · Girls #131 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recorded90/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10095/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Maia has a recorded origin (Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque); Alyssa does not have one recorded yet.
  • Alyssa has 3 syllables, compared with 1 for Maia.
  • A meaning is recorded for Maia; Alyssa doesn't have one written yet.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.

How each name got here

Alyssa

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1990

    First recorded at #90 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1990 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    New South Wales, Australia · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1990–2019

    Highest recorded position: #25 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2004 (recorded 1990–2019).

    New South Wales, Australia · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #325 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.

    Republic of Ireland · Girls

Maia

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Highest recorded1999–2023

    Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in New Zealand, in 2005 (recorded 1999–2023).

    New Zealand · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #131 among girls in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Girls