The Department of Internal Affairs

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua

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Favourite Māori baby names in Aotearoa revealed


9 July 2026

Te Tari Taiwhenua, The Department of Internal Affairs, has released the most popular Māori baby names for the past year, revealing the names most favoured by whānau and how they have shifted over time. 

Maia/ Māia/ Te Māia has taken the top spot for kōtiro (girls), rising from second place last year, while Ariki/ Āriki/ Te Ariki/ te Ariki/ TeAriki/ Te-Ariki has retained its position as the most popular name for tama (boys). 

The results show both consistency at the top and subtle shifts across the rankings, with several names newly entering the top 10. 

Among kōtiro, Aroha/ Te Aroha/ Te-Aroha/ TeAroha moved to second place after three years at number one, followed by Moana/ Te Moana in third. New to the top 10 this year are Ataahua/ Ātaahua/ Te Ataahua, Mei, and Mahina/ Māhina. 

For tama, Koa has risen to second place, while Wiremu sits third. Manaia enters the boys’ top 10 for the first time, and Kahurangi/ Te Kahurangi makes a notable rise from ninth to fourth. 

“These names carry deep meaning, they speak to whakapapa, identity, and the aspirations whānau have for their tamariki,” says Registrar-General of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Russell Burnard. 

“What we’re seeing is a strong continuity in the names people cherish, alongside the emergence of others that reflect connection to te taiao, to ancestors, and to te reo Māori itself.” 

Russell Burnard says the list is carefully compiled with cultural integrity at the core. 

“We approach this work with care and respect. Each name is reviewed to ensure it aligns with te reo Māori conventions, including macrons, pronunciation, and structure.” 

The data also highlights shared names across genders, with Manaia appearing in both kōtiro and tama lists. 

To view the full list of Māori baby names, along with previous years’ rankings visit:  https://smartstart.services.govt.nz/news/baby-names-maori

Matariki Herenga Waka - Matariki, the mooring place of many canoes, which speaks to unity, inclusion, and shared heritage. 

ENDS 

Notes for editors  

The first and middle names featured in the list were registered with Te Tari Taiwhenua between 19 June 2025 and 8 July 2026, aligning with the Tangaroa lunar calendar period associated with Matariki. 

Top baby names  


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 Māori name 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. 

4. The names on our list have been reviewed by our Te Atamira Taiwhenua kaumātua and Te Taura Whiri as part of the process.  

PĀNUI PĀPĀHO 

Rāpare, te 9 o Hōngongoi  

Kua whakapuakina ngā tino ingoa pēpi Māori i Aotearoa 

Kua whakapuaki Te Tari Taiwhenua i ngā tino ingoa Māori mā ngā pēpi mō te tau kua hori, e whakaatu ana i ngā ingoa e tino pai ana ki ngā whānau me te rerenga kētanga i roto i ngā tau. 

Ko Maia/ Māia/ Te Māia te tino ingoa mā ngā kōtiro, kua piki ake i te tūnga tuarua i te tau o mua, ko Ariki/ Āriki/ Te Ariki/ te Ariki/ TeAriki/ Te-Ariki kua whakamau ki tōna tūnga hei tino ingoa mā ngā tama. 

E kitea ana i ngā rārangi nei ko te noho pūmau o ngā ingoa o runga me ngā panonitanga moroiti puta noa i ngā rārangi, kei ngā ingoa kua hou atu ki te pōiketanga 10. 

Mā ngā kōtiro, kua neke a Aroha/ Te Aroha/ Te-Aroha/ TeAroha ki te pae tuarua i muri mai i te toru tau kei te pae tuatahi, e whai mai ana ko Moana/ Te Moana kei te pae tuatoru. Kua hou atu ki te pōiketanga 10 i tēnei tau ko Ataahua/ Ātaahua/ Te Ataahua, Mei me Mahina/ Māhina. 

Mā ngā tama, kua piki a Koa ki te pae tuarua, kua noho ko Wiremu ki te pae tuatoru. Ka hou atu a Manaia ki te pōiketanga 10 mā ngā tama mō te wā tuatahi, ā, ko Kahurangi/ Te Kahurangi kua tino piki i te pae tuaiwa ki te pae tuawhā. 

“He hōhonu te tikanga o ēnei ingoa, ka whakaari i te whakapapa, te tuakiri me ngā tūmanako a ngā whānau mō ā rātau tamariki,” hei tā te Kairēhita-Matua o ngā Whānautanga, Matenga, Mārenatanga hoki, ko Russell Burnard. 

“Kitea ana ko te noho pūmau ki ngā ingoa e maimoatia ana e te tāngata, me te toko ake o ētahi e whakaatu ana i te hononga ki te taiao, ki ngā tūpuna, ki te reo Māori tonu.” 

E kī ana a Russell Burnard he mea āta whakaemi te rārangi me te whakaaro nui ki ngā tikanga kei te pokapū o ngā mahi. 

“Ka kōkiritia te mahi nei i runga i te kumanu me te whakaaro nui. Ka tirohia ia ingoa kia whakarite e hāngai ana ki ngā tikanga o te reo Māori, tae atu ki ngā tohutō, te whakahua me te hanga o te reo.” 

Ka miramira hoki ngā raraunga i ngā ingoa e whakamahia ana puta noa i ngā ira, arā ko Manaia ka puta ki ngā rārangi mā ngā kōtiro me ngā tama hoki. 

Kia tirohia te rārangi katoa o ngā ingoa pēpi Māori, me ngā rārangi o ngā tau o mua, me toro atu ki:  https://smartstart.services.govt.nz/news/baby-names-maori

Matariki Herenga Waka – ko Matariki, te pou herenga o ngā waka maha, e tohu ana i te kotahitanga, te whai wāhitanga me te tuku ihotanga. 

KA MUTU 

He kōrero anō mā ngā ētita  

Ko ngā ingoa tōmua, tōwaenga hoki kei te rārangi he mea rēhita ki Te Tari Taiwhenua ki waenga i te 19 o Pipiri 2025 me te 8 o Hōngongoi 2026, kia hāngai ki te wā o Tangaroa i te maramataka Māori e whai pānga ana ki a Matariki. 

Ngā tino ingoa pēpi 


Ko tā mātau hātepe 

1. Ka whakarite mātau i tētahi rārangi taumātaki i te tuatahi mā te tango ake i ngā ingoa tōmua, tōwaenga katoa mai i ā mātau raraunga rēhita whānautanga e whakatutuki ana i ngā āhuatanga e rārangi iho nei: 

  • Ko ngā oropuare ko te i, e, a, o, u anake (me ngā oropuare roa) 
  • Ko ngā orokati ko te p, t, k, m, n, ng, wh, r, h, w anake 
  • Me mutu ngā ingoa katoa ki te oropuare  

2. Me tutuki hoki i ngā ingoa tōmua, tōwaenga katoa ko tētahi, nui atu rānei, o ngā paearu e rārangi iho nei: 
  • Me noho rānei ki tētahi papakupu reo Māori e whai mana ana hei kupu, heoi ngā ingoa pūhui (hei tauira ko Hineteuru), me noho mai ko ngā wāhanga tonu o te ingoa pūhui, 
  • Ka tirohia ngā ingoa mō ngā tohutō. Mehemea kua tuhia te ingoa me tētahi tohutō, ko te tikanga he ingoa Māori nō reira me ‘whakamātau’ ki ngā aratohu. 

3. Ko ngā ingoa tōmua, tōwaenga hoki ka whakatutuki i ngā paearu o runga nei, engari he maha ngā pūtake, ka tangohia atu. 
  • Ko te tikanga o tēnei, mā te tango atu i te ōwehe o ngā ingoa kāore i takea mai i te reo Māori ka kore e kitea tērā ingoa ki te rārangi o ngā tino ingoa Māori. 

4. Kua arotakengia ngā ingoa i tā mātau rārangi e ngā kaumātua o Te Atamira Taiwhenua me Te Taura Whiri hei wāhanga o te tukanga. 

Kōtiro  
Ingoa  Kaute  
Maia/Māia/Te Māia  173  
Aroha/Te Aroha/Te-Aroha/TeAroha  153  
Moana/Te Moana  86  
Anahera/Te Anahera  68  
Atarangi/Te Atarangi/Te Ataarangi/Te-Atarangi/Te Atārangi  67  
Manaia  59  
Marama/Mārama/Te Marama  58  
Ataahua/Ātaahua/Te Ataahua  57  
Mei  52  
Mahina/Māhina  51  
Tama  
Ingoa  Kaute  
Ariki/Āriki/Te Ariki/te Ariki/TeAriki/Te-Ariki  144  
Koa  105  
Wiremu  88  
Kahurangi/Te Kahurangi  74  
Kiwa  70  
Rangi/Te Rangi/Te-Rangi  64  
Rawiri/Rāwiri  62  
Mikaere  62  
Nikau/Nīkau  54  
Manaia  53