Maia vs Mia
Maia and Miacompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Maia was ranked #213 and Mia #11 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Maia was ranked #35 and Mia #13 among girls in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Maia was ranked #253 and Mia #20 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Maia was ranked #197 and Mia #21 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Maia was ranked #131 and Mia #21 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Maia was ranked #164 and Mia #26 among girls in Scotland.
Maia and Mia over time
Maia and Mia appear together in 5 published lists, across 148 years of shared records. Mia held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Maia in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Maia reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Mia in 2. 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Maia and Mia changed places 4 times in New Zealand · Girls between 2001 and 2023, ending at #35 and #13.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Maia and Mia averaged 18.5 places apart, ending at #35 and #13.
- Longest-running competitions
Maia and Mia were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #197 and #21.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1979–2025
Maia held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Mia in 42.
Highest recorded here: Maia #95 in 2020, Mia #8 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maia #131, Mia #21.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Maia held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Mia in 30.
Highest recorded here: Maia #176 in 2001, Mia #5 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maia #197, Mia #21.
Republic of Ireland · Girls27 shared years, 1999–2025
Maia held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Mia in 27.
Highest recorded here: Maia #118 in 2015, Mia #6 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maia #213, Mia #11.
Northern Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 1999–2024
Maia held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Mia in 26.
Highest recorded here: Maia #132 in 2003, Mia #14 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Maia #253, Mia #20.
New Zealand · Girls23 shared years, 2001–2023
Maia held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Mia in 20.
Highest recorded here: Maia #15 in 2005, Mia #7 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Maia #35, Mia #13.
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 | Maia | Mia |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | 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. | Directly a diminutive of Maria. |
| Origin | Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque | Scandinavian/Italian, via Maria |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmai̯a/ | /ˈmiːə/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #5 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 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 is recorded with a Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque origin, while Mia is recorded with a Scandinavian/Italian, via Maria origin.
- Maia and Mia both have 1 syllable.
- Maia's recorded meaning differs from Mia's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
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
Mia
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #357 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2008 (recorded 1997–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #21 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls