# Gaia (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/gaia/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | “gaea”, “the earth personified as a goddess”, “the earth”, “earth”, “land”, “country” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡaɪə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 2,434 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 2,434 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,039, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Γαῖᾰ (Gaîă, “Gaea, the Earth personified as a goddess”), from γαῖᾰ (gaîă, “the Earth”), probably related to γῆ (gê, “earth, land; country”). Sense 1 was coined by the British scientist, environmentalist, and futurist James Lovelock (1919–2022) in his book Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (1979), at the suggestion of the British novelist, playwright, and poet William Golding (1911–1993): see the quotation.

## What it means

Gaia is grouped under earth.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 54 | 3,101 |
| 2012 | 75 | 2,456 |
| 2013 | 57 | 2,948 |
| 2014 | 73 | 2,483 |
| 2015 | 92 | 2,107 |
| 2016 | 98 | 2,020 |
| 2017 | 90 | 2,134 |
| 2018 | 117 | 1,752 |
| 2019 | 136 | 1,575 |
| 2020 | 156 | 1,401 |
| 2021 | 191 | 1,231 |
| 2022 | 198 | 1,222 |
| 2023 | 219 | 1,122 |
| 2024 | 212 | 1,144 |
| 2025 | 157 | 1,392 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 26 | 1,225 |
| 2012 | 34 | 1,037 |
| 2013 | 20 | 1,537 |
| 2014 | 42 | 890 |
| 2015 | 30 | 1,139 |
| 2016 | 30 | 1,142 |
| 2017 | 46 | 836 |
| 2018 | 44 | 843 |
| 2019 | 64 | 616 |
| 2020 | 61 | 624 |
| 2021 | 61 | 634 |
| 2022 | 95 | 447 |
| 2023 | 81 | 490 |
| 2024 | 74 | 526 |
| 2025 | 77 | 520 |

## People named Gaia

- Gaia Weiss, French actress and model
- Gaia Germani, actress (1934–2019)
- Gaia Vince, British journalist. broadcaster and non-fiction author
- Gaia Bermani Amaral, actress

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.