Manaia

Meaning & origin

No verified etymology recorded for this name yet — the entries below are drawn from usage statistics and the name graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Manaia is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• French surname329 records spelled Manaia3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg

  Also written Manaîa, Manaïa

• Georgian given name19 records spelled Manaia2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Georgia

  Also written Მანაია

32 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Manaia is also recorded in 4 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In Māori, a manaia (a figure often seen in art, generally depicted as a man with a bird's head)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In English, A bird-headed mythological creature and symbol of protection in Māori mythology.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Catalan, a Roman soldier in one of the processions during Setmana Santa (Holy Week)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Samoan, ceremonial household heir apparent

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

NZ DIA — Baby name popularity (1900–present) — 31 years between 1993–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 115 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Manaia?

We estimate roughly 967 people bear Manaia (counting its spellings and scripts) across 1 country in our records.

In which country does Manaia have the most bearers?

We estimate about 967 people bear Manaia in Brazil, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled manaia.

How common is Manaia compared with other names?

In Luxembourg, Manaia is the 851st most common surname of 1,284 surnames recorded there.