Hala vs Maia
Hala 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 2017, Hala was ranked #452 and Maia #150 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Hala was ranked #863 and Maia #197 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Hala was ranked #885 and Maia #213 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Hala and Maia over time
Hala and Maia appear together in 2 published lists, across 48 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Hala 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1997–2025
Hala held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Maia in 29.
Highest recorded here: Hala #863 in 2025, Maia #176 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Hala #863, Maia #197.
Norway · Girls19 shared years, 1987–2017
Hala held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Maia in 17.
Highest recorded here: Hala #275 in 2008, Maia #119 in 2011.
The order changed in 1996: Maia moved ahead. In 1995 they stood at #551 and #659; by 1996 that had become #526 and #240.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Hala #452, Maia #150.
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 | Hala | 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 | England and Wales · Girls #863 (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); Hala does not have one recorded yet.
- Hala has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Maia.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Hala doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Hala
Popularity journey
First recorded1981
First recorded at #575 among girls in Norway in 1981 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1981–2017
Highest recorded position: #275 among girls in Norway, in 2008 (recorded 1981–2017).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #863 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