Girl name · Greek
Kaia
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: pet form of Katarina, the Scandinavian KatherineKaia is a girl's name that is of Greek origin: pet form of Katarina, the Scandinavian Katherine. It is used in English and Scandinavian.
- Meaning
- Pet form of Katarina, the Scandinavian Katherine
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #193 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Kaia
As a girl's name, Kaia is of Greek origin: pet form of Katarina, the Scandinavian Katherine. It is used in English and Scandinavian.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
How popular is Kaia?
- US rank in 2025
- #193
- 1,618 babies, 1,007 per million girls
- Best rank
- #180 in 2024
- 1,680 babies that year
- Babies since 1955
- At least 20,909
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 1 per million |
| 1960s | 2 per million |
| 1970s | 11 per million |
| 1980s | 12 per million |
| 1990s | 33 per million |
| 2000s | 217 per million |
| 2010s | 414 per million |
| 2020s | 887 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #368 | #331 | #312 | #315 | #300 | #231 | #225 | #186 | #180 | #193 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Kaia
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- KaiThe sea (Hawaiian, unisex)
- KalinaViburnum shrub (Slavic, girl)
- KeiraDark one (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- KlaraClear, bright (Latin, girl)
- KahiauGiving generously (Hawaiian, unisex)
- KahoFlower and ear of grain (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- KairiSea and village, written 海里 (Japanese, unisex)
- KaleaJoy, happiness (Hawaiian, girl)
- KaliThe black one (Sanskrit, unisex)
Names with a similar meaning
- AntonellaPet form of Antonia, from the Roman family name Antonius (Latin, girl)
- CatalinaSpanish form of Katherine, later linked to Greek pure (Greek, girl)
- GiaPet form of Gianna, God is gracious (Hebrew, girl)
- LochlanViking, Scandinavian (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- MiaPet form of Maria (Hebrew, girl)
- TanyaPet form of Tatiana (Latin, girl)
- AikateriniGreek form of Katherine, of debated origin (Greek, girl)
- AllisonVariant of Alison, a pet form of Alice, noble kind (Germanic, girl)
- ArantxaPet form of Arantzazu, from arantza, thornbush (Basque, girl)
- BetoPet form of Alberto or Roberto (Spanish, boy)
- BirgitScandinavian form of Bridget, exalted one (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- BognaPet form of Bogdana and other Bog- names (Polish, girl)
- CalliePet form of Caroline, or of names beginning with Cal (Germanic, girl)
- CataPet form of Catalina (Spanish, girl)
- ChabucaPet form of Isabel (Spanish, girl)
Middle names for Kaia
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- ClaireClear, bright (Latin, girl)
- DahliaFlower named for botanist Anders Dahl (Swedish, girl)
- HeatherHeather plant (English, girl)
- IsabelGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- LaurelBay tree, a symbol of victory (Latin, girl)
- OliviaOlive tree (Latin, girl)
- PhilippaLover of horses (Greek, girl)
- SoleilSun (French, girl)
More girl names from Greek
- AlexandraDefender of men (Greek, girl)
- ElenaForm of Helen, probably from Greek torch (Greek, girl)
- IrenePeace, tranquility (Greek, girl)
- IrisA rainbow (Greek, girl)
- SofiaWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- SophieWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- ZoeLife, living (Greek, girl)
- AnastasiaResurrection, rising again (Greek, girl)
- ChristinaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- NicoleVictory of the people (Greek, girl)
- PetraRock, stone (Greek, girl)
- RitaA pearl (Greek, girl)
- AgnesPure, chaste (Greek, girl)
- AngelaMessenger, angel (Greek, girl)
- BarbaraForeign woman (Greek, girl)
- ChloeGreen shoot (Greek, girl)
- ClioGlory (Greek, girl)
- CorinnaMaiden (Greek, girl)
Kaia: common questions
What does the name Kaia mean?
Kaia is of Greek origin: pet form of Katarina, the Scandinavian Katherine. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Kaia a boy or girl name?
Kaia is mainly a girl's name. In 2025, 1,618 girls and 5 boys in the US were named Kaia, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Kaia come from?
Kaia is of Greek origin: pet form of Katarina, the Scandinavian Katherine. Today it is used in English and Scandinavian.
How popular is the name Kaia?
Kaia ranked #193 in the US in 2025, with 1,618 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Kaia?
Names spelled like Kaia include Kai, Kalina, Keira, Klara and Kahiau.
What middle names go with Kaia?
Middle names that flow well with Kaia include Claire, Dahlia, Heather, Isabel and Laurel. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.