Namewise

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.

  • England and Wales · Girls

    In 2024, Maia was ranked #190 and Mia #14 among girls in England and Wales.

  • Northern Ireland · Girls

    In 2024, Maia was ranked #253 and Mia #20 among girls in Northern Ireland.

  • 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 147 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.

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 · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024

    Maia held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Mia in 29.

    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, 2024: Maia #190, Mia #14.

  • 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.

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.

Other comparisons involving Mia

Pairs where Mia shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other pairs with the same kind of relationship

Pairs that qualify under the same rule as this one — close in one country, far apart in another.

All close in one country, far apart in another→

Other pairs ranked together in the 2020s

Pairs both ranked in the same published list at some point between 2020 and 2029.

The 2020s across all registrars→

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Maia, Mia
FieldMaiaMia
Record typeEditorially researched profileEditorially researched profile
Gender usagefemalefemale
MeaningA 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.
OriginGenuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/BasqueScandinavian/Italian, via Maria
Pronunciation/ˈmai̯a//ˈmiːə/
Syllables11
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ
Most recent popularity observationNorway · Girls #131 (2025)New South Wales, Australia · Girls #5 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)90/10090/100
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)95/10095/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

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

  1. 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

  2. Highest recorded1999–2023

    Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in New Zealand, in 2005 (recorded 1999–2023).

    New Zealand · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #131 among girls in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Girls

Mia

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Highest recorded1997–2025

    Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2008 (recorded 1997–2025).

    New South Wales, Australia · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #5 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.

    New South Wales, Australia · Girls