Leila vs Maia
Leila 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, Leila was ranked #409 and Maia #131 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Leila was ranked #275 and Maia #164 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Leila was ranked #249 and Maia #190 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2023, Leila was ranked #302 and Maia #209 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Leila was ranked #325 and Maia #213 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Leila and Maia over time
Leila and Maia appear together in 4 published lists, across 103 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Leila in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 3 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2018, Maia moved ahead of Leila in England and Wales · Girls — #192 and #224 the year before became #221 and #176.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Leila and Maia changed places 6 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 2000 and 2023, ending at #302 and #209.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Leila and Maia averaged 59.4 places apart, ending at #249 and #190.
- Longest-running competitions
Leila and Maia were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 32 years, from 1979 to 2025, ending at #409 and #131.
List by list
Norway · Girls32 shared years, 1979–2025
Leila held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Maia in 25.
Highest recorded here: Leila #285 in 1979, Maia #95 in 2020.
The order changed in 1993: Maia moved ahead. In 1992 they stood at #412 and #413; by 1993 that had become #372 and #325.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Leila #409, Maia #131.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Leila held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Maia in 11.
Highest recorded here: Leila #132 in 2012, Maia #176 in 2001.
The order changed in 2018: Maia moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #192 and #224; by 2018 that had become #221 and #176.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Leila #249, Maia #190.
Republic of Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 2000–2025
Leila held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Maia in 18.
Highest recorded here: Leila #168 in 2011, Maia #118 in 2015.
The order changed in 2012: Maia moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #168 and #234; by 2012 that had become #213 and #199.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Leila #325, Maia #213.
Northern Ireland · Girls16 shared years, 2000–2023
Leila held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Maia in 13.
Highest recorded here: Leila #218 in 2018, Maia #144 in 2009.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Leila #302, Maia #209.
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 | Leila | 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, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #325 (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); Leila does not have one recorded yet.
- Leila has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Maia.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Leila 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
Leila
Popularity journey
First recorded1957
First recorded at #383 among girls in Norway in 1957 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #132 among girls in England and Wales, in 2012 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #409 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