Karolina vs Maia
Karolina 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 2021, Karolina was ranked #443 and Maia #118 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Karolina was ranked #736 and Maia #126 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Karolina was ranked #2138 and Maia #197 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2015, Karolina was ranked #426 and Maia #223 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Karolina and Maia over time
Karolina and Maia appear together in 4 published lists, across 99 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Karolina 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 2 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.
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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Karolina and Maia changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 2003 and 2024, ending at #736 and #126.
- Mirrored each other
Over 38 shared years in Norway · Girls, Maia rose about as far as Karolina fell — from #234 and #584 in 1979 to #443 and #118 in 2021.
- Longest-running competitions
Karolina and Maia were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 38 years, from 1979 to 2021, ending at #443 and #118.
List by list
Norway · Girls38 shared years, 1979–2021
Karolina held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Maia in 22.
Highest recorded here: Karolina #114 in 1988, Maia #95 in 2020.
The order changed in 2001: Maia moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #198 and #203; by 2001 that had become #267 and #204.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Karolina #443, Maia #118.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2025
Karolina held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Maia in 29.
Highest recorded here: Karolina #425 in 2009, Maia #176 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Karolina #2138, Maia #197.
Republic of Ireland · Girls22 shared years, 2003–2024
Karolina held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Maia in 18.
Highest recorded here: Karolina #177 in 2009, Maia #118 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Karolina #736, Maia #126.
Northern Ireland · Girls10 shared years, 2005–2015
Karolina held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Maia in 8.
Highest recorded here: Karolina #237 in 2010, Maia #186 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Karolina #426, Maia #223.
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 | Karolina | 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 | 4 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2138 (2025) | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 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); Karolina does not have one recorded yet.
- Karolina has 4 syllables, compared with 1 for Maia.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Karolina doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Karolina
Popularity journey
First recorded1974
First recorded at #399 among girls in Norway in 1974 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1974–2021
Highest recorded position: #114 among girls in Norway, in 1988 (recorded 1974–2021).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #2138 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