How popular is the baby name Ataahua in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Ataahua.

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Popularity of the baby name Ataahua


Posts that mention the name Ataahua

Popular baby names (and Maori baby names) in New Zealand, 2023

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

Last year, the island nation of New Zealand welcomed a total of 57,889 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Charlotte and Noah.

Here are New Zealand’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Charlotte, 209 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 184
  3. Isla, 179
  4. Olivia, 155
  5. Harper, 150
  6. Willow, 145
  7. Lily, 144
  8. Ava, 143 (tie)
  9. Ella, 143 (tie)
  10. Hazel, 141
  11. Mila, 138
  12. Evelyn, 135 (3-way tie)
  13. Mia, 135 (3-way tie)
  14. Sophie, 135 (3-way tie)
  15. Isabella, 130
  16. Aria, 125
  17. Ruby, 122
  18. Grace, 121
  19. Millie, 119
  20. Florence, 110
  21. Lucy, 108
  22. Ivy, 105
  23. Chloe, 101
  24. Zoe, 100
  25. Maeve, 98
  26. Daisy, 96
  27. Matilda, 95
  28. Sadie, 93 (tie)
  29. Sophia, 93 (tie)
  30. Emily, 92 (3-way tie)
  31. Freya, 92 (3-way tie)
  32. Luna, 92 (3-way tie)
  33. Olive, 88
  34. Georgia, 82 (tie)
  35. Maia, 82 (tie)
  36. Poppy, 81
  37. Frankie, 80 (tie)
  38. Violet, 80 (tie)
  39. Mackenzie, 79
  40. Ellie, 78
  41. Riley, 77
  42. Aurora, 76
  43. Bella, 74
  44. Madison, 70 (tie)
  45. Penelope, 70 (tie)
  46. Kaia, 69 (tie)
  47. Zara, 69 (tie)
  48. Billie, 68 (tie)
  49. Quinn, 68 (tie)
  50. Layla, 67

Boy names

  1. Noah, 267 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 247
  3. Luca, 207
  4. Jack, 194
  5. Leo, 189
  6. Theodore, 186
  7. George, 177
  8. Henry, 172
  9. Charlie, 163
  10. Hudson, 162
  11. Arthur, 158
  12. Arlo, 156
  13. Elijah, 153
  14. William, 147
  15. James, 146 (tie)
  16. Lucas, 146 (tie)
  17. Liam, 143
  18. Thomas, 142
  19. Theo, 135
  20. Oscar, 131
  21. Cooper, 122
  22. Beau, 119
  23. Hugo, 115
  24. Ethan, 114
  25. Ezra, 113 (tie)
  26. Mason, 113 (tie)
  27. Archie, 111 (tie)
  28. Levi, 111 (tie)
  29. Max, 110
  30. Carter, 106
  31. Felix, 105 (tie)
  32. Finn, 105 (tie)
  33. Alexander, 102
  34. Lachlan, 97
  35. Asher, 90 (3-way tie)
  36. Hunter, 90 (3-way tie)
  37. Louie, 90 (3-way tie)
  38. Luke, 87
  39. Benjamin, 84
  40. Harry, 83
  41. Jackson, 82
  42. Archer, 81
  43. Micah, 79 (tie)
  44. Riley, 79 (tie)
  45. Caleb, 78 (3-way tie)
  46. Isaac, 78 (3-way tie)
  47. Louis, 78 (3-way tie)
  48. Austin, 77
  49. Luka, 75
  50. Samuel, 74

And what about Maori names specifically?

Currently, the top Maori baby names in New Zealand are Aroha/Te Aroha for girls and Ariki/Te Ariki for boys. In Maori, the word aroha means “love” or “affection,” the word ariki means “chieftain” or “leader,” and the word te (in these two cases) is the article “the.”

Here are New Zealand’s top 10 Maori girl names and top 10 Maori boy names:

Maori girl names

  1. Aroha/Te Aroha, 164 baby girls
  2. Amaia, 110
  3. Maia, 103
  4. Anahera, 85
  5. Moana, 70
  6. Manaia, 68
  7. Ataahua, 54
  8. Marama, 51
  9. Atarangi, 41
  10. Tui, 39

Maori boy names

  1. Ariki/Te Ariki, 111 baby boys
  2. Wiremu, 86
  3. Rawiri, 80
  4. Mikaere, 65
  5. Nikau, 63
  6. Koa, 62 (tie)
  7. Manaia, 62 (tie)
  8. Manaaki, 59
  9. Kiwa, 45 (tie)
  10. Kaitoa, 45 (tie)

Please note that the Maori rankings don’t cover the calendar year 2023, as the national rankings do. Instead, they cover births from July 10, 2023, to June 30, 2024. (These dates coincide with Matariki, a.k.a. Maori New Year.)

Finally, here’s a link to New Zealand’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

P.S. Did you know that New Zealand’s closest geographic neighbor in the Pacific is New Caledonia (to the north)?

Sources: Top Baby Names – New Zealand Government, Most common Maori baby names in 2023/24 released for Matariki – Te Ao Maori News, Te Aka Maori Dictionary, New Caledonia – New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Popular baby names (and Maori baby names) in New Zealand, 2022

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

The island nation of New Zealand is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 1,200 miles east of Australia.

Last year, New Zealand welcomed a total of 59,711 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Isla and Oliver.

Here are New Zealand’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Isla, 246 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 210
  3. Charlotte, 208
  4. Mila, 182
  5. Lily, 180
  6. Ava, 179
  7. Willow, 177
  8. Olivia, 175
  9. Harper, 167
  10. Sophie, 166
  11. Hazel, 164
  12. Mia, 161
  13. Ella, 157
  14. Isabella, 156
  15. Ruby, 149
  16. Chloe, 144
  17. Millie, 137
  18. Zoe, 130
  19. Grace, 128
  20. Lucy, 117 (tie)
  21. Olive, 117 (tie)
  22. Emily, 116
  23. Aria, 115
  24. Freya, 114
  25. Ivy, 111
  26. Evelyn, 110
  27. Georgia, 105 (tie)
  28. Sienna, 105 (tie)
  29. Layla, 102 (tie)
  30. Poppy, 102 (tie)
  31. Matilda, 101 (tie)
  32. Sophia, 101 (tie)
  33. Frankie, 100
  34. Luna, 96
  35. Mackenzie, 95
  36. Ellie, 94
  37. Sadie, 92
  38. Maia, 91
  39. Florence, 87
  40. Riley, 86
  41. Isabelle, 85 (tie)
  42. Margot, 85 (tie)
  43. Maeve, 84
  44. Evie, 83 (tie)
  45. Violet, 83 (tie)
  46. Aurora, 80 (tie)
  47. Billie, 80 (tie)
  48. Daisy, 78
  49. Sofia, 75
  50. Eleanor, 73

Boy Names

  1. Oliver, 274 baby boys
  2. Noah, 262
  3. Leo, 243
  4. Jack, 234
  5. Luca, 222
  6. Theodore, 219
  7. George, 211
  8. Charlie, 195
  9. Hudson, 169 (tie)
  10. William, 169 (tie)
  11. Oscar, 166
  12. Arthur, 160
  13. Elijah, 158
  14. Arlo, 156
  15. Thomas, 151
  16. James, 150
  17. Archie, 146
  18. Henry, 144
  19. Lucas, 140
  20. Hunter, 138
  21. Liam, 136
  22. Mason, 130
  23. Theo, 124
  24. Ezra, 123 (tie)
  25. Max, 123 (tie)
  26. Levi, 121
  27. Cooper, 120
  28. Carter, 114
  29. Hugo, 112
  30. Lachlan, 110
  31. Asher, 109
  32. Beau, 108
  33. Finn, 104
  34. Archer, 103 (tie)
  35. Felix, 103 (tie)
  36. Benjamin, 100 (tie)
  37. Luka, 100 (tie)
  38. Jasper, 94
  39. Luke, 92
  40. Harry, 91
  41. Ethan, 88
  42. Alexander, 87 (tie)
  43. Roman, 87 (tie)
  44. Grayson, 85 (tie)
  45. Harrison, 85 (tie)
  46. Jackson, 83 (3-way tie)
  47. Lincoln, 83 (3-way tie)
  48. Samuel, 83 (3-way tie)
  49. Jacob, 82 (tie)
  50. Louie, 82 (tie)

This is the tenth year in a row that Oliver has been New Zealand’s #1 boy name.

The news release also mentioned that the “most popular gender-neutral name for 2022 was Riley,” which ranked 40th for girls and 51st for boys.

And what about the top Maori baby names?

Maori girl names

  1. Aroha / Te Aroha
  2. Aria
  3. Anahera
  4. Maia
  5. Moana
  6. Kaia
  7. Manaia
  8. Atarangi / Te Atarangi
  9. Ataahua
  10. Marama

Maori boy names

  1. Ariki / Te Ariki / Teariki
  2. Nikau
  3. Wiremu
  4. Rawiri
  5. Mikaere
  6. Manaia
  7. Kai
  8. Manaaki
  9. Kahurangi
  10. Koa

There are a couple of things we need to note about the Maori baby name rankings, though.

First, the Maori rankings don’t cover the same period of time as the national rankings. Instead, they cover births from June 21, 2022, to July 9, 2023. Why? Because these dates are linked to Matariki, or Maori New Year. (The Maori word Matariki refers to both the Pleiades star cluster and to the yearly celebration of the Pleiades’ return to the night sky, in late June or early July).

Second, a more thorough process is now being used to determine which names to include in the Maori rankings. Previously, the only criterion was that the names be made up of letters in the Maori alphabet. Now, on top of that, the names must: end in a vowel, be “carefully considered and checked,” be discussed with a Maori elder, and be reviewed by the Maori Language Commission.

In 2021, the top names overall in New Zealand were Charlotte and Oliver.

Sources: Top Baby Names – New Zealand Government, Aotearoa’s top ten Maori baby names of the year revealed for Matariki, Matariki (the Pleiades) – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Popular Maori baby names in New Zealand, 2015

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

According to the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs and the Maori Language Commission (Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori), the country’s most popular Maori names during the second half of 2014 and the first half of 2015 were Maia and Nikau.

Here are the top 10 Maori girl names and boy names of 2014/2015:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Maia
2. Manaia
3. Anahera
4. Ana
5. Aroha
6. Kaia
7. Hana
8. Ataahua
9. Tia
10. Kora
1. Nikau
2. Ari
3. Manaia
4. Wiremu
5. Kauri
6. Mikaere
7. Rawiri
8. Ihaia
9. Kai
10. Manaaki

The top 10 lists above are fairly different from the Maori baby name rankings of 2013. (I don’t believe a 2014 list was released.)

One confusing difference is the absence of Aria and Ariana. Were they reclassified as non-Maori? Otherwise, Aria and Ariana should have come in first and third on this list, given how popular they’ve been in New Zealand overall lately.

Also confusing is the fact that the rankings don’t refer to corresponding periods of time. The 2013 list covers April 2012 to March 2013, whereas the 2015 list covers July 2014 to June 2015.

Maia and Nikau weren’t among New Zealand’s top ten baby names of 2015, but they did appear in the top 100: Maia was ranked 34th for girls, Nikau 97th for boys.

Source: Most popular Maori baby names in 2015

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Popular Maori baby names in New Zealand, 2012

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

A conversation with commenter elbowin a couple of weeks ago prompted me to do a bit of research on Maori names. And what did I stumble upon while doing that research? An official list of the top Maori baby names of 2012:

Baby Girl NamesBaby Boy Names
1. Maia
2. Aria
3. Manaia
4. Anahera
5. Ataahua
6. Aroha
7. Tia
8. Ariana
9. Kaia
10. Kahurangi
11. Maraea
12. Waimarie
13. Tui
14. Amaia
15. Miriama
16. Awhina
17. Hana
18. Anika
19. Huia
20. Mareikura
1. Nikau
2. Wiremu
3. Kahurangi
4. Kauri
5. Nikora
6. Tane
7. Tamati
8. Rawiri
9. Anaru
10. Tai
11. Manaia
12. Tama
13. Mikaere
14. Te Ariki
15. Ariki
16. Te Koha
17. Hoani
18. Manawa
19. Tiare
20. Hemi

The list was created using data from the Births, Deaths and Marriages registry of NZ’s Department of Internal Affairs. How?

The results are for the first name given to nineteen thousand Maori babies (by descent) registered in 2012. The analysis found that Maori girls are more likely to be given Maori names.

So, they tallied up and ranked all the Maori names given to babies of Maori descent. (In case you’re wondering, 61,178 babies were born in New Zealand in 2012 and 33% of these babies were of Maori descent.)

I do wish the press release had included some raw numbers, or at least mentioned what percentage of Maori babies got Maori names in 2012. Because, without this information, there’s no way to know what sort of influence (if any) Maori babies getting Maori names had on the overall 2012 list.

For instance, the top two Maori girl names, Maia and Aria — which aren’t exclusively Maori in origin — ranked 30th and 38th nation-wide. Would they have ranked as well if they hadn’t been so popular among the Maori specifically?

Anyway…it’s a cool list, regardless. Thanks, elbowin, for all the thoughtful comments. :)

Sources: Top 20 Maori boys’ and girls’ names released, Births and Deaths: Year ended December 2012

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)