Maia vs Samara
Maia and Samaracompared 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 2023, Maia was ranked #183 and Samara #856 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Maia was ranked #190 and Samara #1097 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2014, Maia was ranked #365 and Samara #439 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Maia and Samara over time
Maia and Samara appear together in 2 published lists, across 38 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Samara 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 1 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Maia rose about as far as Samara fell — from #753 and #643 in 1996 to #190 and #1097 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Maia held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Samara in 1.
Highest recorded here: Maia #176 in 2001, Samara #590 in 2004.
The order changed in 1997: Maia moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #753 and #643; by 1997 that had become #456 and #803.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Maia #190, Samara #1097.
Republic of Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 2006–2023
Maia held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Samara in 0.
Highest recorded here: Maia #130 in 2014, Samara #431 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Maia #183, Samara #856.
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 | Samara |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #1097 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| 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); Samara does not have one recorded yet.
- Maia has 1 syllable, compared with 3 for Samara.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Samara doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
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
Samara
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #643 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1998–2014
Highest recorded position: #219 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2006 (recorded 1998–2014).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1097 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls