Maia

About Maia

Maia brings several histories into four letters. In Greek it is connected with words for “mother,” while a Roman goddess, forms of Maria, and Māori Māia provide distinct traditions. Its mythological story reaches from the mother of Hermes to the stars of the Pleiades; chess champion Maia Chiburdanidze gives it a striking modern namesake.

Greek and Roman origins

The Greek name Maia comes from a word used for a good mother, foster mother, or respected older woman. It may have begun as a nursery form of the word for mother. In mythology, Maia was the eldest of the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas and Pleione, and the mother of Hermes by Zeus.

The Roman Maia had a separate identity as a goddess associated with spring and with Vulcan. Her name is probably related to Latin maior, meaning “greater.” She was later identified with the Greek Maia, so the two figures became intertwined. The month of May is named for the Roman goddess.

Other naming traditions

In Estonian and Basque, Maia is a form of Maria. This gives the spelling a place in the Mary name family independently of the classical goddesses. Its meaning in that setting follows Maria’s history rather than the Greek word for mother.

Māori Māia means “brave” or “capable” and is used for both boys and girls. The macron in Māia marks its long first vowel. This is another independent source for the name, alongside its European uses.

Stars and a chess champion

The Pleiades are also known as the Seven Sisters. They form an open star cluster, a gathering of stars rather than a single star or planet. That connection gives Maia a place in both mythology and the familiar names of the night sky.

Georgian grandmaster Maia Chiburdanidze became women’s world chess champion in 1978 at seventeen. Her victory made her an exceptionally young champion in a demanding international field. She held the title until Xie Jun defeated her in 1991, linking the name with a long period at the highest level of women’s chess.

Pronunciation and related forms

English speakers use both MY-uh and MAY-uh. Georgian has a more distinctly separated mah-ee-ah rhythm, while Basque uses a sound close to MY-ah. The spelling therefore does not have one pronunciation across all its languages.

Maja, Maya, and French Maïa are related forms in the classical name family. Maria is relevant to the Estonian and Basque tradition. Those connections explain why Maia can sit beside several different groups of names.

American usage

The United States recorded 475 girls named Maia in both 2000 and 2010. Its highest annual birth count was 752 in 2022, when it ranked #420. In 2025, 715 girls received the spelling and it ranked #433.

How popular is Maia?

In 2025, Maia ranked #433 among girls in the United States, with 715 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1950; its largest annual count was 752 in 2022. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.