Fun Facts About the Name Maia
- More than 18 thousand babies named Maia: U.S. records list 18,196 babies given the name Maia from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Maia Mean?
Maia comes from the Greek word μαῖα (maia), a respectful term for an older woman that means "mother" and was also used for a nurse or midwife. In Greek myth the name belongs to the eldest of the Pleiades, the daughters of the Titan Atlas, who became the mother of Hermes by Zeus.
The Romans also worshipped a goddess named Maia, honored in spring and connected with the month of May. The origin of that Latin name is disputed. Some connect it with maior and maiestas ("greater," "majesty"), from a root *mag-, while others tie it to a root meaning "to grow" or "nourish." Whether the Roman name is borrowed from the Greek word or is a separate Latin one remains uncertain.
Maia is sometimes treated as a spelling of the similar name Maya, but the two have different origins and should not be assumed to share an etymology.
Maia Name History & Origins
In Greek tradition Maia was the eldest of the Pleiades, the daughters of Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione. In Hesiod's Theogony she bears Hermes to Zeus, and her cave on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia was said to be the place of Hermes' birth. Because the Pleiades were set in the sky as a star cluster, her name is also attached to one of its stars.
Roman religion had its own Maia, an earth and fertility goddess whose festival fell in May. The poet Ovid, in the Fasti, links her name to the month Maius and lists several explanations, including that she is the mother of Mercury (the Roman Hermes) and that the month was named for her. Roman writers sometimes identified her with the Greek Maia and with the goddess Bona Dea.
From these classical roots the name passed into later European use as a given name, appearing in Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese-speaking regions, among others.
How Popular is the Name Maia?
Maia recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #420 in 2022.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #433 | 715 | 0.0445% |
| 2024 | #459 | 681 | 0.0422% |
| 2023 | #459 | 672 | 0.0419% |
| 2022 | #420 | 752 | 0.0459% |
| 2021 | #435 | 724 | 0.0442% |
| 2020 | #498 | 615 | 0.0381% |
| 2019 | #525 | 587 | 0.0350% |
| 2018 | #502 | 620 | 0.0365% |
| 2017 | #489 | 639 | 0.0370% |
| 2016 | #570 | 545 | 0.0308% |
| 2015 | #553 | 562 | 0.0315% |
| 2014 | #628 | 456 | 0.0255% |
| 2013 | #642 | 440 | 0.0251% |
| 2012 | #720 | 386 | 0.0219% |
| 2011 | #680 | 413 | 0.0235% |
| 2010 | #620 | 475 | 0.0267% |
| 2009 | #590 | 511 | 0.0278% |
| 2008 | #635 | 487 | 0.0258% |
| 2007 | #611 | 492 | 0.0256% |
| 2006 | #508 | 598 | 0.0315% |
| 2005 | #523 | 558 | 0.0302% |
| 2004 | #561 | 511 | 0.0278% |
| 2003 | #565 | 494 | 0.0270% |
| 2002 | #535 | 512 | 0.0285% |
| 2001 | #603 | 417 | 0.0232% |
| 2000 | #550 | 475 | 0.0262% |
| 1999 | #587 | 420 | 0.0237% |
| 1998 | #539 | 466 | 0.0264% |
| 1997 | #667 | 327 | 0.0188% |
| 1996 | #823 | 245 | 0.0140% |
| 1995 | #1,026 | 178 | 0.0101% |
| 1994 | #1,275 | 134 | 0.0075% |
| 1993 | #1,311 | 129 | 0.0071% |
| 1992 | #1,407 | 117 | 0.0063% |
| 1991 | #1,605 | 95 | 0.0051% |
| 1990 | #1,856 | 77 | 0.0041% |
| 1989 | #1,661 | 83 | 0.0045% |
| 1988 | #1,698 | 76 | 0.0043% |
| 1987 | #1,639 | 75 | 0.0043% |
| 1986 | #1,682 | 70 | 0.0041% |
| 1985 | #1,479 | 84 | 0.0049% |
| 1984 | #2,010 | 51 | 0.0030% |
| 1983 | #1,944 | 53 | 0.0032% |
| 1982 | #1,798 | 61 | 0.0036% |
| 1981 | #1,857 | 59 | 0.0035% |
| 1980 | #1,165 | 116 | 0.0070% |
| 1979 | #1,195 | 110 | 0.0069% |
| 1978 | #1,496 | 76 | 0.0050% |
| 1977 | #1,353 | 84 | 0.0055% |
| 1976 | #1,807 | 52 | 0.0035% |
| 1975 | #1,436 | 73 | 0.0050% |
| 1974 | #1,697 | 54 | 0.0037% |
| 1973 | #1,472 | 65 | 0.0045% |
| 1972 | #1,797 | 48 | 0.0032% |
| 1971 | #1,704 | 54 | 0.0032% |
| 1970 | #1,747 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 1969 | #2,235 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 1968 | #2,756 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1967 | #2,831 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1966 | #2,041 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 1965 | #3,002 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1964 | #3,322 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1963 | #2,673 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1962 | #2,243 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1961 | #3,917 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1960 | #3,832 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1959 | #3,199 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1958 | #4,384 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #6,677 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #5,125 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #6,376 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #6,196 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #5,290 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #5,071 | 6 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Maia Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Maia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Maia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.