Aroha/Te Aroha and Ariki/Te Ariki top Māori baby names of 2024/2025

19 June 2025

The Department of Internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua, has released the most popular Māori baby names for 2024/2025.

For the third consecutive year, Aroha/Te Aroha/Te-Aroha/TeAroha (173) topped the list for kōtiro (girls), while Ariki/Te Ariki/Āriki/te Ariki (137) remained the most popular name for tāne (boys).

Rounding out the top five names for kōtiro were: Maia/Māia/Te Māia, Moana/Te Moana, Anahera/Te Anahera and Atarangi/Te Atarangi/Te Ataarangi/Te-Atarangi. For tāne, the top five includes Wiremu, Koa, Mikaere and Rangi/Te Rangi/te Rangi/te rangi/Te-Rangi.

“Each name tells a story. It’s a reflection of whakapapa, identity, and the hopes whānau hold for their tamariki,” says Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages Russell Burnard.
Burnard also highlighted the care taken in compiling the list.

“We approach the creation of the Māori baby names list with deep respect and cultural responsibility. Each name is carefully reviewed to ensure it aligns with te reo Māori conventions—right down to the structure of vowels and consonants, and the presence of macrons.

“Our process includes consultation with kaumātua and final review by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. Through this collaboration we aim to honour the mana of Māori names.”

The first and middle names featured in this list were registered with Department of internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua between 1 July 2024 and 18 June 2025. These dates align with the Tangaroa lunar calendar period associated with Matariki, as advised by the Matariki Advisory Committee.

Department of internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua has published a list of the top Māori baby names since 2013. 2022/2023 was the first year that this list was released to coincide with Matariki, the Māori New Year.

To view the top full list of Māori baby names from 2024/2025, 2023/2024, and 2022/2023, visit the SmartStart website: https://smartstart.services.govt.nz/news/baby-names-maori

-ENDS-

Top baby names

• Top Māori baby names by year (2022-23 - 2024-25) – PDF, 65KB

Our process
1. We develop an initial list by extracting all the first and middle names from our birth registration data that meet the following conventions:

• The vowels are limited to i, e, a, o, u (and their long forms)
• Consonant choice is limited to p, t, k, m, n, ng, wh, r, h, w
• All names must end in a vowel

2. All first and middle names also must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Appear in an authoritative Māori dictionary either as a full word, or in the case of compound names (e.g., Hineteuru), the component parts should appear, or
• Check the names for macrons. If the name has been written with a macron it is likely to be intended as a Māoriname and should be ‘tested’ against the guidelines.

3. First and middle names that meet the above criteria, but which have multiple origins are removed.

• This is on the basis that removal of the proportion of occurrences that are non-Māori would mean the name no longer appears as a top Māori name.
• Our list is then discussed with our kaumātua and then our recommendations are checked with Te Taura Whiri.

Tama – Boys

Ingoa	Kaute
Ariki/Āriki/Te Ariki/te Ariki	137
Wiremu	100
Koa	76
Mikaere	74
Rangi/Te Rangi/te Rangi/te rangi/Te-Rangi	70
Nikau/Nīkau	68
Rawiri/Rāwiri	65
Kiwa	55
Kahurangi/Te Kahurangi	52
Manaaki	51

Kōtiro – Girls

Ingoa	Kaute
Aroha/Te Aroha/Te-Aroha/TeAroha	173
Maia/Māia/Te Māia	137
Moana/Te Moana	84
Anahera/Te Anahera	66
Atarangi/Te Atarangi/Te Ataarangi/Te-Atarangi	60
Manaia	58
Rangimarie/Rangimārie/Te Rangimarie	54
Rangi/Te Rangi/te Rangi/te rangi/Te-Rangi	49
Marama/Mārama/Te Marama	48
Tui/Tūī	45