Maia vs Tora
Maia and Toracompared 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 2025, Maia was ranked #131 and Tora #186 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Maia was ranked #197 and Tora #3705 among girls in England and Wales.
Maia and Tora over time
Maia and Tora appear together in 2 published lists, across 60 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Tora reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2010, Maia moved ahead of Tora in Norway · Girls — #157 and #140 the year before became #139 and #169.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Maia and Tora changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1979 and 2025, ending at #131 and #186.
- Longest-running competitions
Maia and Tora were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 42 years, from 1979 to 2025, ending at #131 and #186.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1979–2025
Maia held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Tora in 23.
Highest recorded here: Maia #95 in 2020, Tora #126 in 2007.
The order changed in 2010: Maia moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #157 and #140; by 2010 that had become #139 and #169.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maia #131, Tora #186.
England and Wales · Girls18 shared years, 1998–2025
Maia held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Tora in 0.
Highest recorded here: Maia #176 in 2018, Tora #2701 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Maia #197, Tora #3705.
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.
- Maia vs Hedvig
Maia and Hedvig changed places 17 times in Norway · Girls between 1979 and 2025, ending at #131 and #19.
Maia · Hedvig · 42 shared years, 1979–2025 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
- Charlotte vs Maia
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Charlotte #1 in 2006, Maia #15 in 2005.
Charlotte · Maia · 25 shared years, 1999–2023 · Peaked in the same years
- Ella vs Maia
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Ella #1 in 2007, Maia #15 in 2005.
Ella · Maia · 25 shared years, 1999–2023 · Peaked in the same years
- Emma vs Maia
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Emma #1 in 2003, Maia #15 in 2005.
Emma · Maia · 25 shared years, 1999–2023 · Peaked in the same years
Side by side
| Field | Maia | Tora |
|---|---|---|
| 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 #186 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| 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); Tora does not have one recorded yet.
- Maia has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Tora.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Tora 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 #197 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Tora
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #220 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #126 among girls in Norway, in 2007 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #3705 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls