Elma vs Maia
Elma 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, Elma was ranked #288 and Maia #131 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Elma was ranked #1406 and Maia #190 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2008, Elma was ranked #862 and Maia #281 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Elma and Maia over time
Elma and Maia appear together in 2 published lists, across 45 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Elma in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Maia reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Elma 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Elma #224 in 2022, Maia #95 in 2020.
List by list
Norway · Girls23 shared years, 1983–2025
Elma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Maia in 23.
Highest recorded here: Elma #224 in 2022, Maia #95 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elma #288, Maia #131.
England and Wales · Girls22 shared years, 1999–2024
Elma held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Maia in 22.
Highest recorded here: Elma #1406 in 2024, Maia #176 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elma #1406, Maia #190.
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 Maia
Pairs where Maia shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Maia vs Hedvig
Maia and Hedvig changed places 17 times in Norway · Girls between 1979 and 2025, ending at #131 and #19.
Maia · Hedvig · 42 shared years, 1979–2025 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
- Charlotte vs Maia
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Charlotte #1 in 2006, Maia #15 in 2005.
Charlotte · Maia · 25 shared years, 1999–2023 · Peaked in the same years
- Ella vs Maia
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Ella #1 in 2007, Maia #15 in 2005.
Ella · Maia · 25 shared years, 1999–2023 · Peaked in the same years
- Emma vs Maia
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Emma #1 in 2003, Maia #15 in 2005.
Emma · Maia · 25 shared years, 1999–2023 · Peaked in the same years
Side by side
| Field | Elma | 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 | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #288 (2025) | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 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); Elma does not have one recorded yet.
- Elma has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Maia.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Elma doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Elma
Popularity journey
First recorded1971
First recorded at #417 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1981–2025
Highest recorded position: #224 among girls in Norway, in 2022 (recorded 1981–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #288 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