Maia vs Stella
Maia and Stellacompared 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Maia was ranked #35 and Stella #62 among girls in New Zealand.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Maia was ranked #131 and Stella #66 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Maia was ranked #213 and Stella #160 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Maia was ranked #164 and Stella #351 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Maia was ranked #190 and Stella #305 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Maia was ranked #253 and Stella #212 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Maia and Stella over time
Maia and Stella appear together in 5 published lists, across 131 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Stella in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 5 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Maia reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Stella in 1. 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.
- One took the other's place near the top
In New Zealand · Girls, Maia moved into the top 50 at #34 in 2021 as Stella fell out of it to #67, having been #32 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2021, Maia moved ahead of Stella in New Zealand · Girls — #38 and #32 the year before became #34 and #67.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Maia and Stella changed places 7 times in New Zealand · Girls between 2001 and 2023, ending at #35 and #62.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Maia and Stella averaged 17.0 places apart, ending at #35 and #62.
- Longest-running competitions
Maia and Stella were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 35 years, from 1979 to 2025, ending at #131 and #66.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Maia #166 in 2020, Stella #178 in 2020.
List by list
Norway · Girls35 shared years, 1979–2025
Maia held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Stella in 20.
Highest recorded here: Maia #95 in 2020, Stella #64 in 2015.
The order changed in 2008: Stella moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #124 and #152; by 2008 that had become #155 and #100.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maia #131, Stella #66.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Maia held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Stella in 1.
Highest recorded here: Maia #176 in 2001, Stella #294 in 2020.
The order changed in 1997: Maia moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #753 and #582; by 1997 that had become #456 and #585.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Maia #190, Stella #305.
Republic of Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 2000–2025
Maia held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Stella in 11.
Highest recorded here: Maia #118 in 2015, Stella #103 in 2024.
The order changed in 2019: Stella moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #134 and #169; by 2019 that had become #196 and #171.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maia #213, Stella #160.
New Zealand · Girls23 shared years, 2001–2023
Maia held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Stella in 4.
Highest recorded here: Maia #15 in 2005, Stella #29 in 2011.
The order changed in 2021: Maia moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #38 and #32; by 2021 that had become #34 and #67.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Maia #35, Stella #62.
Northern Ireland · Girls18 shared years, 2004–2024
Maia held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Stella in 5.
Highest recorded here: Maia #166 in 2020, Stella #178 in 2020.
The order changed in 2024: Stella moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #209 and #302; by 2024 that had become #253 and #212.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Maia #253, Stella #212.
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 | Stella |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #60 (2025) |
| 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); Stella does not have one recorded yet.
- Maia has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Stella.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Stella doesn't have one written yet.
- 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 #131 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Stella
Popularity journey
First recorded1954
First recorded at #411 among girls in Norway in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded2001–2023
Highest recorded position: #29 among girls in New Zealand, in 2011 (recorded 2001–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #60 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls