Elisa vs Maia
Elisa 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.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Elisa was ranked #249 and Maia #131 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Elisa was ranked #638 and Maia #164 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Elisa was ranked #432 and Maia #190 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Elisa was ranked #381 and Maia #213 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2018, Elisa was ranked #361 and Maia #434 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Elisa and Maia over time
Elisa and Maia appear together in 3 published lists, across 94 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Elisa in 0.
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 3 of those lists, and Elisa in none. 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 2013, Maia moved ahead of Elisa in Norway · Girls — #172 and #179 the year before became #234 and #152.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Elisa and Maia changed places 11 times in Norway · Girls between 1979 and 2025, ending at #249 and #131.
- Longest-running competitions
Elisa and Maia were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 42 years, from 1979 to 2025, ending at #249 and #131.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Elisa #167 in 2021, Maia #95 in 2020.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1979–2025
Elisa held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Maia in 29.
Highest recorded here: Elisa #167 in 2021, Maia #95 in 2020.
The order changed in 2013: Maia moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #172 and #179; by 2013 that had become #234 and #152.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elisa #249, Maia #131.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Elisa held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Maia in 28.
Highest recorded here: Elisa #330 in 2016, Maia #176 in 2001.
The order changed in 1997: Maia moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #661 and #753; by 1997 that had become #897 and #456.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elisa #432, Maia #190.
Republic of Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 2001–2025
Elisa held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Maia in 22.
Highest recorded here: Elisa #203 in 2022, Maia #118 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elisa #381, Maia #213.
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 | Elisa | 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #249 (2025) | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 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); Elisa does not have one recorded yet.
- Elisa has 3 syllables, compared with 1 for Maia.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Elisa doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Elisa
Popularity journey
First recorded1959
First recorded at #454 among girls in Norway in 1959 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1959–2025
Highest recorded position: #167 among girls in Norway, in 2021 (recorded 1959–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #249 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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