Amaia
Amaia was the 555th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 547 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 862 places. More babies were named Amaia in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Amaya) Meaning disputed · Basque, Spanish
- Rank in 2025
- #555 girls, up 10 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 547girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025547 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,499babies recorded
What does the name Amaia mean?
Amaia is a spelling of Amaya, pronounced the same way, so it shares Amaya's meaning and origin.
Amaya has two explanations. Wiktionary says the name comes from the heroine of a Spanish historical novel, Amaya o los vascos del siglo VIII (1877) by Francisco Navarro Villoslada, and that it was explained as Basque amai, 'the end'. Wikipedia instead derives it from the village and mountain of Amaya in Castile, whose name may have Indo-European roots meaning 'mother city'. Both agree it is a Spanish and Basque name, also spelled Amaia, that spread to the US in the 1990s.
amai (Basque, “end (one explanation)”)Amaya (Spanish, “village and mountain in Castile”)
How sure is this? Disputed. Wiktionary: a novel heroine, glossed Basque 'the end'. Wikipedia: a Castilian place name possibly meaning 'mother city'.
Related names: Amaia, Amaiya, Maya.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Amaya', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Amaya (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Amaia popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #555 | 547 |
| 2020 | #565 | 521 |
| 2010 | #2,362 | 80 |
| 2000 | #2,857 | 50 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Amaia, counting every spelling?
Amaia is a spelling of Amaya, a name family that ranked #118 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #555 for Amaia on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,670 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amaya | 1,723 | #180 | 8,805 |
| Amaia | 547 | #555 | 2,453 |
| Amayah | 323 | #841 | 1,770 |
| Amaiah | 65 | #2,649 | 274 |
| Ameia | 6 | #13,310 | 45 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Amaia?
547 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Amaia (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Amaia born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Amaia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Amaia?
About 5,500 people born in the US named Amaia are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 3 and 10. That makes Amaia a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Amaia by state
How common Amaia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Florida (3.3×), Massachusetts (2.6×), New Jersey (2.5×), Connecticut (2.3×), New York (2.2×). In 20 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Amaia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Amaia, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Amaia
What does Amaia mean?
The meaning of Amaya is disputed: Wiktionary: a novel heroine, glossed Basque 'the end'. Wikipedia: a Castilian place name possibly meaning 'mother city'.
How popular is the name Amaia?
Amaia was the 555th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 547 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 862 places. More babies were named Amaia in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Amaia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Amaia in the US.
Where is Amaia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Amaia was most common in Rhode Island (1.12 per 1,000 girls), followed by Florida and Massachusetts.