Kaia
Say it: KY-a
Girl4 letters2 syllables
#130
in Ireland (2025)
36
babies in 2025
#130
best rank (2025)
267
babies since 2002
Up 233
10-year rank change
Kaia through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 36 | #130 |
| 2024 | 25 | #181 |
| 2023 | 24 | #190 |
| 2022 | 39 | #137 |
| 2021 | 26 | #185 |
| 2020 | 21 | #212 |
| 2019 | 15 | #296 |
| 2018 | 17 | #266 |
| 2017 | 9 | #432 |
| 2016 | 10 | #422 |
| 2015 | 13 | #363 |
| 2014 | 3 | #869 |
| 2013 | 4 | #748 |
| 2012 | 5 | #679 |
| 2011 | 4 | #796 |
| 2010 | 4 | #758 |
| 2009 | 4 | #742 |
| 2003 | 5 | #490 |
| 2002 | 3 | #620 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Kaia mean?
Uncertain; several origins
Estonian and Norwegian, and also used as a form of Kai.
Say it right
KYa
Some families say KAY-a.
The story of Kaia
Kaia has more than one root, so it has no single meaning. In Estonia it is a form of Katariina, their version of Catherine. It is also a girls’ name in Norway and the Faroe Islands. In English it is sometimes used as a form of Kai, which is linked with the Hawaiian word for the sea.
Well-known bearers include the Estonian tennis player Kaia Kanepi and the American model Kaia Gerber.
Kaia first appears in the CSO records in 2002, and it stayed very rare until the late 2010s. Its biggest year was 2022, with 39 girls, and its best rank came in 2025, when 36 girls got the name and it was number 130. It is less common in Northern Ireland, with 9 girls there in 2025.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Kaia (Estonian proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Kaia (name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Kaia | 36 | 267 |
In Northern Ireland
#191 in 2025 with 9 babies. Best rank #161 (2024); 71 babies since 2002.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.