Fun Facts About the Name Maija
- More than 1 thousand babies named Maija: U.S. records list 1,189 babies given the name Maija from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Maija Mean?
Maija is a Finnish and Latvian form of Maria, which comes from the Hebrew name Miriam. Since the origin of Miriam is not securely known, the meaning of Maija is usually described as uncertain. The explanations most often offered trace Miriam to a Hebrew root meaning "bitter," to a root meaning "rebellious," or to an Egyptian word for "beloved." The common gloss "wished-for child" is a popular reading rather than a demonstrated etymology. Christian tradition later gave Mary the symbolic title Stella Maris, "star of the sea," but that is a devotional interpretation, not the name's literal sense.
In Latvian, maija is also the word for the month of May, so the name carries a seasonal association there.
Maija Name History & Origins
Maija developed as a vernacular form of Maria in northern Europe. In Finnish, Maria and its variants were long widespread because of devotion to the Virgin Mary, and everyday speech shortened the name into forms such as Maija, Maiju, Mari, and Marja. Maija is one of these familiar Finnish forms; the fuller Maaria was used more specifically in religious settings.
Latvian uses Maija as a traditional form of Marija, and because the Latvian word for May is maijs, the name is tied in local usage to that spring month.
The spelling Maija has no connection to the Sanskrit Maya, often glossed as "illusion," or to the Greek Maia, the mother of Hermes. The resemblance is coincidental, since those names belong to unrelated language families.
How Popular is the Name Maija?
Maija has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1999. Its best rank was #2,458 in 1999.
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 | #11,538 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #10,735 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #7,122 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2022 | #10,129 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #10,788 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #9,998 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #9,493 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #6,417 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #15,246 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #7,847 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #9,905 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #7,516 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #5,943 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2012 | #5,501 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #6,261 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2010 | #7,101 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #5,035 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2008 | #4,325 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 2007 | #4,431 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2006 | #4,904 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2005 | #4,443 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2004 | #4,148 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2003 | #3,162 | 47 | 0.0026% |
| 2002 | #5,015 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2001 | #3,521 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2000 | #3,844 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1999 | #2,458 | 59 | 0.0033% |
| 1998 | #3,540 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1997 | #3,334 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1996 | #4,826 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1995 | #3,830 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #5,152 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1993 | #4,328 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1992 | #6,520 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #6,136 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #9,800 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #8,461 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #4,585 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1987 | #8,444 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #5,633 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1985 | #6,288 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1984 | #4,879 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1983 | #7,063 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #4,639 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1981 | #8,660 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #4,438 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1979 | #4,148 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1978 | #4,825 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1977 | #3,700 | 20 | 0.0013% |
| 1976 | #3,363 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1975 | #4,478 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1974 | #7,349 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #3,186 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1972 | #3,651 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1971 | #4,996 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #4,393 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1968 | #3,021 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1967 | #5,802 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #5,589 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #5,107 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1964 | #5,275 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #6,303 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #4,427 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #7,163 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1960 | #6,936 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #6,656 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #6,524 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1952 | #5,291 | 6 | 0.0003% |
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 Maija 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 are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Maija's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Maija's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.