Maia vs Nadja
Maia and Nadjacompared 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 2016, Maia was ranked #157 and Nadja #565 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2004, Maia was ranked #244 and Nadja #4598 among girls in England and Wales.
Maia and Nadja over time
Maia and Nadja appear together in 1 published list, across 25 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Nadja 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.
Nadja reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Maia in none. 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 Nadja changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1979 and 2016, ending at #157 and #565.
- Mirrored each other
Over 25 shared years in Norway · Girls, Maia rose about as far as Nadja fell — from #584 and #370 in 1979 to #157 and #565 in 2016.
List by list
Norway · Girls25 shared years, 1979–2016
Maia held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Nadja in 7.
Highest recorded here: Maia #124 in 2007, Nadja #315 in 1996.
The order changed in 1993: Maia moved ahead. In 1992 they stood at #413 and #392; by 1993 that had become #325 and #428.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Maia #157, Nadja #565.
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 | Nadja |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| 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. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmai̯a/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) | Norway · Girls #565 (2016) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Maia has a recorded origin (Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque); Nadja does not have one recorded yet.
- Maia has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Nadja.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Nadja doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
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 #131 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Nadja
Popularity journey
First recorded1955
First recorded at #438 among girls in Norway in 1955 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1955–2016
Highest recorded position: #315 among girls in Norway, in 1996 (recorded 1955–2016).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2016
Most recently recorded at #565 among girls in Norway, in 2016.
Norway · Girls