Maia vs Wenche
Maia and Wenchecompared 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 2008, Maia was ranked #155 and Wenche #621 among girls in Norway.
Maia and Wenche over time
Maia and Wenche appear together in 1 published list, across 19 years of shared records. Maia held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Wenche 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.
Wenche 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.
List by list
Norway · Girls19 shared years, 1979–2008
Maia held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Wenche in 9.
Highest recorded here: Maia #124 in 2007, Wenche #82 in 1979.
The order changed in 1993: Maia moved ahead. In 1992 they stood at #413 and #367; by 1993 that had become #325 and #678.
Most recent shared year, 2008: Maia #155, Wenche #621.
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 | Wenche |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #131 (2025) | Norway · Girls #621 (2008) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Maia has a recorded origin (Genuinely multiple, independent origins — Maori, Greek/Roman mythology, and Estonian/Basque); Wenche does not have one recorded yet.
- Maia has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Wenche.
- A meaning is recorded for Maia; Wenche doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in 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
Wenche
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #22 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2008
Highest recorded position: #7 among girls in Norway, in 1955 (recorded 1945–2008).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2008
Most recently recorded at #621 among girls in Norway, in 2008.
Norway · Girls