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Maja as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Maja

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The baby name Maja is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈma.ja/ (MAH-ya),/ˈmaːja/ (MAH-ya, long a),English variant often pronounced /ˈmaɪə/ (MY-ə) — more typical of 'Maya'.

Maja is Croatian, German, Polish, Scandinavian, Serbian, Slavic, Slovenian in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Croatian, German, Polish, Scandinavian, Serbian, Slavic, Slovenian
Pronunciation: /ˈma.ja/ (MAH-ya),/ˈmaːja/ (MAH-ya, long a),English variant often pronounced /ˈmaɪə/ (MY-ə) — more typical of 'Maya'

What is the meaning of the name Maja ?

The baby name Maja is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈma.ja/ (MAH-ya),/ˈmaːja/ (MAH-ya, long a),English variant often pronounced /ˈmaɪə/ (MY-ə) — more typical of 'Maya'.

Maja is Croatian, German, Polish, Scandinavian, Serbian, Slavic, Slovenian in Origin.

Maja is a pan‑European feminine name with layered origins. In Slavic and Scandinavian contexts it serves both as the local form of Maia/Maya and as a familiar of Maria/Marija. From Greek Maia - the nurturing Pleiad and mother of Hermes - it carries the sense “good mother” or “nurse,” and is linked to the month of May, a symbol of spring growth. When derived from Maria, its meaning follows that name’s debated etymology, often glossed as “beloved,” “wished‑for child,” or “sea of bitterness.”

The name is established across Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and German usage; related forms include Maia and Maya, with Maija in Finnish and Latvian and the Slavic diminutive Majka. Documented in 19th‑century parish records, Maja rose markedly in the 20th century - especially in German‑speaking lands - boosted by Waldemar Bonsels’s Die Biene Maja and later screen adaptations.

Maja has the following similar or variant Names

Maja – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Girls 2025 #1 — 411
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
SI Girls 0 #1 808 2,769
SI 0 #1 203 1,612
HR Girls 0 #6 3,970 3,687
HR 0 #7 750 2,081
RS Girls 0 #7 738 1,651
BI 0 #12 1 425
RS 0 #12 143 923
Sweden Girls 2022 #13 448 1,568
Norway Girls 2025 #24 178 453
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
DK Girls 0 #50 894 7,429
CY 0 #59 2 1,632
PL Girls 0 #62 4,327 5,096
LU 0 #65 2 2,830
AL 0 #75 2 2,372
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
LT 0 #85 4 949
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
DK 0 #88 149 5,198
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
Switzerland Girls 2024 #102 34 1,786
QA 0 #103 4 7,011
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
PL 0 #104 223 2,600
HU 0 #109 7 1,675
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
OM 0 #118 4 6,215
CY Girls 0 #124 2 3,755
GR 0 #134 2 3,911
MT Girls 0 #136 16 3,773
RS Boys 0 #138 17 2,277
EE Girls 0 #141 2 1,888
BW Girls 0 #150 2 4,216
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
HU Girls 0 #155 74 3,308
LT Girls 0 #165 30 1,904
Austria 0 #166 48 850
CZ 0 #170 16 3,154
Belgium Girls 2023 #171 20 419
LU Girls 0 #171 15 4,850
Austria Girls 0 #181 379 1,885
UY 0 #181 2 2,477
AE 0 #183 5 10,220
CZ Girls 0 #192 175 5,378
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
AL Girls 0 #204 19 4,141
SI Boys 0 #208 4 3,402
IR 0 #215 15 4,221
BG Girls 0 #223 9 3,559
HR Boys 0 #226 33 3,997
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
GR Girls 0 #228 15 6,293
Germany Girls 0 #229 1,411 4,949
MO Boys 0 #233 2 5,842
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
JP Girls 0 #248 4 6,592
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
MO Girls 0 #259 5 7,056
NG 0 #271 2 5,926
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
Canada Girls 2024 #276 10 2,795
JM Girls 0 #277 2 7,507
IL 0 #279 4 6,291
SG 0 #280 3 11,010
Germany 0 #285 158 2,542
QA Girls 0 #286 31 15,378
TW Girls 0 #288 2 8,139
PL Boys 0 #296 40 6,459
AL Boys 0 #299 5 5,122
CZ Boys 0 #301 5 6,530
SA 0 #310 3 10,560
PE 0 #328 2 6,350
DK Boys 0 #330 3 7,401
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
NL 0 #348 44 2,481
PH Girls 0 #350 41 13,098
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
CN Girls 0 #358 2 8,829
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
MU Girls 0 #361 2 8,539
Finland Girls 0 #362 30 1,368
IR Girls 0 #368 167 8,334
OM Girls 0 #380 17 15,987
France Girls 2021 #390 16 3,185
BD Girls 0 #405 2 8,413
PH Boys 0 #406 3 11,440
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
CL 0 #434 1 6,867
MX 0 #445 1 8,339
NL Girls 0 #452 645 5,933
KW Girls 0 #454 62 19,177
SD Boys 0 #465 2 10,523
Finland Girls 2026 #468 381 3,895
PT Girls 0 #468 4 7,952
ZA 0 #470 5 14,421
RU Girls 0 #480 19 11,913
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
GT Boys 0 #498 2 7,625
AE Girls 0 #507 47 20,968
CO 0 #509 2 7,768
PS Girls 0 #514 10 10,981
IQ Girls 0 #521 5 11,303
UY Girls 0 #530 7 6,731
GT Girls 0 #541 1 7,500
BH 0 #544 10 17,937
LY 0 #554 6 12,703
CM Girls 0 #557 4 11,671
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
IR Boys 0 #558 8 10,162
CR Girls 0 #571 3 11,342
CM Boys 0 #574 2 12,054
SG Girls 0 #577 10 18,916
HK Girls 0 #599 17 16,104
BD Boys 0 #601 5 10,045
IL Girls 0 #604 14 11,648
IT 0 #612 103 4,183
AR Girls 0 #628 3 8,289
IN Girls 0 #654 1 13,121
LB 0 #686 5 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #693 5 13,071
QA Boys 0 #739 5 18,093
SG Boys 0 #739 1 17,960
SY 0 #765 3 11,684
NG Girls 0 #773 14 15,093
KW Boys 0 #799 8 18,755
IT Girls 0 #809 795 9,415
TN 0 #820 10 13,765
SA Girls 0 #832 104 25,931
United States Girls 2024 #880 37 8,487
NG Boys 0 #903 49 16,906
PE Girls 0 #903 41 14,861
OM Boys 0 #911 8 17,948
CL Girls 0 #912 4 14,098
Spain Girls 0 #913 71 5,561
EG Boys 0 #920 6 15,035
PE Boys 0 #922 5 14,506
EG Girls 0 #937 23 14,742
Germany Boys 0 #942 11 5,697
CO Boys 0 #979 3 15,656
MY Girls 0 #981 14 24,821
IN Boys 0 #985 17 16,750
BR Girls 0 #991 2 12,708
MX Boys 0 #1,028 6 16,355
CO Girls 0 #1,042 37 16,140
ZA Boys 0 #1,071 108 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,074 38 25,439
AE Boys 0 #1,080 13 22,615
ZA Girls 0 #1,084 58 25,928
MA 0 #1,115 14 20,986
DZ 0 #1,165 12 20,130
MX Girls 0 #1,170 14 17,781
TR 0 #1,195 17 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,446 26 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,543 72 28,008

Maja is popular in 81 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
Canada
France
Switzerland
Sweden

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People also ask about Maja

Maja is predominantly a girl's name.
Maja is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈma.ja/ (MAH-ya),/ˈmaːja/ (MAH-ya, long a),English variant often pronounced /ˈmaɪə/ (MY-ə) — more typical of 'Maya'.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Maya, Maia, Maija, Majka and Mayja.
Yes, very popular — Maja ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 11 countries.
Maja ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Maja's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #23 in 2015 to #24 in 2025 in Norway.