Charlotte vs Maia
Charlotte 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, Charlotte was ranked #1 and Maia #35 among girls in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Charlotte was ranked #6 and Maia #253 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Charlotte was ranked #10 and Maia #164 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Charlotte was ranked #25 and Maia #197 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Charlotte was ranked #43 and Maia #213 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Charlotte was ranked #162 and Maia #131 among girls in Norway.
Charlotte and Maia over time
Charlotte and Maia appear together in 5 published lists, across 150 years of shared records. Charlotte held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Maia in 0.
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, Charlotte 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 moved ahead of the other
In 2020, Maia moved ahead of Charlotte in Norway · Girls — #119 and #127 the year before became #160 and #95.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 25 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Charlotte and Maia averaged 34.1 places apart, ending at #1 and #35.
- Mirrored each other
Over 42 shared years in Norway · Girls, Maia rose about as far as Charlotte fell — from #74 and #584 in 1979 to #162 and #131 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Charlotte and Maia were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #25 and #197.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Charlotte #5 in 2000, Maia #176 in 2001.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1979–2025
Charlotte held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Maia in 7.
Highest recorded here: Charlotte #12 in 1990, Maia #95 in 2020.
The order changed in 2020: Maia moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #119 and #127; by 2020 that had become #160 and #95.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Charlotte #162, Maia #131.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Charlotte held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Maia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Charlotte #5 in 2000, Maia #176 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Charlotte #25, Maia #197.
Republic of Ireland · Girls27 shared years, 1999–2025
Charlotte held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Maia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Charlotte #39 in 2018, Maia #118 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Charlotte #43, Maia #213.
Northern Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 1999–2024
Charlotte held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Maia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Charlotte #6 in 2024, Maia #132 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Charlotte #6, Maia #253.
New Zealand · Girls25 shared years, 1999–2023
Charlotte held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Maia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Charlotte #1 in 2006, Maia #15 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Charlotte #1, 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 | Charlotte | Maia |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Free man (feminine form of Charles). | 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 | French, feminine of Charles | Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque |
| Pronunciation | /ˈʃɑɹlət/ | /ˈmai̯a/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Lottie, Charlie, Carlotta | 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 #1 (2025) | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 65/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 70/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Charlotte is recorded with a French, feminine of Charles origin, while Maia is recorded with a Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque origin.
- Charlotte has 3 syllables, compared with 1 for Maia.
- Charlotte's recorded meaning differs from Maia's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Charlotte a "high" Data Confidence level and Maia a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Charlotte
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #345 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1989–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2012 (recorded 1989–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #25 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · 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 #197 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls