Fun Facts About the Name Maite
- More than 4 thousand babies named Maite: U.S. records list 4,465 babies given the name Maite from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Maite Mean?
Maite is a Basque feminine given name taken directly from the Basque word maite, which means "beloved" or "dear." The word is used in everyday Basque as a term of affection: the form maitea means "the beloved" or "darling," and the phrase maite dut means "I love him/her/it." So the name is a literal use of the Basque word for love, not a translation of a name from another language.
It is used mainly in the Basque Country - the Spanish provinces of Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, and Araba, and the French Basque region - and has also spread to other parts of Spain and to Latin America, where it is usually treated simply as a Spanish name. The similar-looking French name Maïté, found in southwestern France, is traditionally explained as a pet form of Marie (and of compounds such as Marie-Thérèse) in Gascon and Occitan usage; whether it has any historical link to the Basque name is not established, and the two are best kept separate.
Maite Name History & Origins
Maite belongs to the group of Basque given names formed from ordinary Basque vocabulary rather than from saints' names or biblical figures. Since Basque was for centuries mostly a spoken language and official records in the Basque Country were normally kept in Spanish or French, the name's past is visible less in early documents than in its steady use among Basque-speaking families. It appears both alone and in the affectionate form Maitea ("the beloved").
From the Basque Country the name moved into wider use in Spain and then into Latin America, where it is spelled and pronounced as a Spanish name. In those settings it is often understood as an ordinary Spanish feminine name, and it keeps the two-syllable form and the stress on the first syllable.
The French form Maïté developed along a different path in the Gascon- and Occitan-speaking southwest of France, where it is traditionally given as a short form of Marie. Its spelling with the diaeresis and its French pronunciation set it apart from the Basque and Spanish Maite, and the resemblance between the two names is largely a matter of appearance.
How Popular is the Name Maite?
Maite 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 2011. Its best rank was #1,024 in 2011.
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 | #1,195 | 193 | 0.0120% |
| 2024 | #1,044 | 240 | 0.0149% |
| 2023 | #1,110 | 222 | 0.0139% |
| 2022 | #1,426 | 158 | 0.0096% |
| 2021 | #1,548 | 136 | 0.0083% |
| 2020 | #1,438 | 152 | 0.0094% |
| 2019 | #1,450 | 153 | 0.0091% |
| 2018 | #1,546 | 141 | 0.0083% |
| 2017 | #1,464 | 154 | 0.0089% |
| 2016 | #1,400 | 167 | 0.0094% |
| 2015 | #1,321 | 180 | 0.0101% |
| 2014 | #1,312 | 181 | 0.0101% |
| 2013 | #1,096 | 224 | 0.0128% |
| 2012 | #1,286 | 186 | 0.0106% |
| 2011 | #1,024 | 244 | 0.0139% |
| 2010 | #1,304 | 181 | 0.0102% |
| 2009 | #1,217 | 205 | 0.0112% |
| 2008 | #1,237 | 204 | 0.0108% |
| 2007 | #1,444 | 164 | 0.0085% |
| 2006 | #1,471 | 151 | 0.0079% |
| 2005 | #2,955 | 55 | 0.0030% |
| 2004 | #3,791 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2003 | #5,530 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2002 | #3,504 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 2001 | #3,601 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2000 | #2,499 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 1999 | #2,030 | 77 | 0.0043% |
| 1998 | #2,445 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 1997 | #1,975 | 73 | 0.0042% |
| 1996 | #5,431 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1995 | #6,887 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #5,597 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1993 | #4,926 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1992 | #4,325 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1991 | #3,999 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1990 | #6,008 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #6,386 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1988 | #8,874 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #12,453 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #9,142 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #8,009 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #7,843 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #5,036 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1982 | #3,136 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1981 | #7,837 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #6,583 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #5,799 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #5,725 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #3,758 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1975 | #4,479 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1974 | #5,602 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #5,846 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #5,743 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #6,362 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #3,975 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1969 | #4,609 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1968 | #4,133 | 12 | 0.0007% |
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 Maite 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.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Maite's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Maite's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.