Meaning of the nameMaia
- Female
- Greek origin
- Mai-a
Maia is a female name of Greek origin (Maîa), the name of a mythological figure, which Behind the Name relates to a Greek word for 'good mother', 'foster mother' or 'nurse'.
- People (2022)
- 11,744
- Rank in Brazil
- #1,525
- Median age
- 2 years
- 2010 Census
- 3,527
- people
Maia in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Maia, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in 2020 to 2022 (7,319 people).
11,518 women 226 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Maia is most common
States with the highest share of people named Maia in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Bahia 0.008%
- Rio de Janeiro 0.008%
- São Paulo 0.007%
- Espírito Santo 0.007%
- Santa Catarina 0.007%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 3,100 | 0.007% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 1,199 | 0.008% |
| Bahia | 1,123 | 0.008% |
| Minas Gerais | 914 | 0.004% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 638 | 0.006% |
| Pernambuco | 519 | 0.006% |
| Santa Catarina | 502 | 0.007% |
| Ceará | 455 | 0.005% |
| Goiás | 390 | 0.006% |
| Paraná | 382 | 0.003% |
| Pará | 334 | 0.004% |
| Maranhão | 287 | 0.004% |
| Espírito Santo | 260 | 0.007% |
| Amazonas | 207 | 0.005% |
| Piauí | 188 | 0.006% |
| Distrito Federal | 185 | 0.007% |
| Alagoas | 183 | 0.006% |
| Paraíba | 172 | 0.004% |
| Mato Grosso | 138 | 0.004% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 124 | 0.004% |
| Sergipe | 117 | 0.005% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 111 | 0.004% |
| Tocantins | 65 | 0.004% |
| Rondônia | 56 | 0.004% |
| Acre | 36 | 0.004% |
| Amapá | 33 | 0.005% |
| Roraima | 26 | 0.004% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Maia
Behind the Name links Maia to a Greek word meaning 'good mother', 'lady' or 'foster mother', perhaps a childish form of 'mother'; it is the name of the eldest of the Pleiades in Greek mythology. Wiktionary records the Greek word μαῖα with the senses of midwife, nurse or foster mother and good mother, of uncertain origin, possibly from the same root as 'mother'. In Portuguese, the same entry gives Maia as a place name and surname, from Old Galician-Portuguese Maia and from Iberian Amaia, and gives the mythological figure as coming from Greek Μαῖα. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 11,744 people named Maia, with a median age of 2; proportionally, it is most common in Bahia. The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil lists Maya, Maiah and Maiaa as spelling variants.
This is the spelling of the name of the Greek mythological figure and the one Wiktionary records in Portuguese as a place name and surname.
Other spellings of Maia
| Spelling | People (2022) |
|---|---|
| Maya | 23,446 |
| Maia | 11,744 |
Sources
- Behind the Name: Maia · behindthename.com · meaning
- Wiktionary: Maia · en.wiktionary.org · origin
- Behind the Name: Maya · behindthename.com · origin
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Maia · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · spelling
- Wiktionary: μαῖα · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
- Wiktionary: Maya · en.wiktionary.org · origin
Questions about the name Maia
What does the name Maia mean?
Maia means “good mother, foster mother or nurse”, according to Behind the Name and Wiktionary.
How many people are named Maia in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 11,744 people with the first name Maia, which ranks it number 1,525 among the country's names. The largest group was born in 2020 to 2022.
Is Maia a boy's or a girl's name?
Maia is a female name: in the 2022 Census, 11,518 women and 226 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Maia?
Maia is a name of Greek origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Maia most common?
Proportionally, in Bahia: 0.008% of the state's population is named Maia (1,123 people), according to the 2022 Census.
What are the other spellings of Maia?
Maya. IBGE counts each spelling separately.
Names that also mean stars
See all- Ester♀Possibly 'star', in Persian176,238 people
- Dalva♀Possibly a shortening of 'estrela d'alva', the morning star67,625 people
- Estela♀Star43,560 people
- Maristela♀Star of the sea42,196 people
- Soraia♀The Pleiades, a cluster of stars27,153 people
- Stela♀Star12,379 people
- Estelita♀Diminutive of Estela, 'star'7,727 people
- Urânia♀Celestial1,263 people
More names of Greek origin
See all- Sandra♀Short form of Alessandra, feminine of Alexandre: 'defender of men'447,906 people
- Helena♀Probably from Greek helene, 'torch'366,186 people
- Sônia♀Russian diminutive form of Sofia, 'wisdom'323,710 people
- Rita♀Short form of Margherita, a name that comes from Greek margarítes,…309,366 people
- Sofia♀Wisdom287,227 people
- Andreia♀Feminine form of André, 'manly, masculine'281,664 people
- Lara♀Russian short form of Larisa, a name possibly taken from the Greek…281,125 people
- Ângela♀Feminine of Ângelo, from Latin angelus, 'angel, messenger'268,995 people
Spotted a mistake? Report a correction for Maia with a source. See the methodology.