Gaia
About Gaia
Floral, bright, and subtly powerful, Gaia is a name with two separate origins. In Greek mythology, it is the name of the earth goddess and the universal mother, who takes her epithet from the Ancient Greek word for land or ground. It was this ecological element that led actress Emma Thompson to choose it for her daughter back in 1999, and it could hold similar appeal to green minded parents today.
In Latin, on the other hand, Gaia is used as the feminine form of Gaius, thought to come from gaudere, meaning "rejoice", making it a name with cheerful potential.
Similar in sound and appearance to other international favorites such as Maia and Kaia, Gaia is popular in Spain and Italy. It is also in the Top 600 in the Netherlands and the UK, though it has yet to break into the US Top 1000. Given to 157 girls in a recent count, it would be a rare-yet-recognizable option.
Along with Emma Thompson's daughter, notable Gaias include model and actress Gaia Weiss and the Italian singer, known simply as Gaia. Given that Gaia is the personification of the earth in Greek mythology, it has also been used in environmental sciences as the name for two theories, which suggest that living organisms interact with their surroundings to create stability, or that they interact with them to make improvements.
Pronounced GUY-ah.
As of October 2026, Gaia ranked #1392 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1122 in 2023, Nameberry popularity #502.
Editor's take: The name Gaia is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "earth mother; rejoicing".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,482 | 73 | 40.9 |
| 2015 | #2,107 | 92 | 51.5 |
| 2016 | #2,019 | 98 | 55.3 |
| 2017 | #2,133 | 90 | 52.1 |
| 2018 | #1,751 | 117 | 68.8 |
| 2019 | #1,574 | 136 | 81 |
| 2020 | #1,400 | 156 | 96.5 |
| 2021 | #1,231 | 191 | 116.4 |
| 2022 | #1,220 | 198 | 120.7 |
| 2023 | #1,122 | 218 | 135.9 |
| 2024 | #1,147 | 210 | 129.6 |
| 2025 | #1,392 | 157 | 97.7 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Gaia.
- Acacia
- Azalea
- Amaryllis
- Zora
- Astra
- Hera
- Avalon
- Bellatrix
- Soleil
- Circe
- Ambrosia
- Celestia
- Arcadia
- Sapphira
- Morgana
- Xanthe
- Selene
- Aura
- Asteria
- Pandora
Gaia on lists
Famous Gaias
- Gaia Germani (born Giovanna Giardina)
Italian actress
- Gaïa Jacquet
Matisse, French,American socialite and actress; great great granddaughter of painter Henri Matisse
- Gaia Weiss
French actress
- Gaia Cauchi
Maltese pop singer
- Gaia Sabbatini
Italian middle distance runner
- Gaia Vince
British journalist and author
- Gaia Romilly Wise (b. 1999)
daughter of actress Emma Thompson and Greg Wise
- Gaia Archey (b. 2012)
daughter of actor Lamon Archey
- Gaia Jissel Ramirez Land (b. 2013)
daughter of actress Dania Ramirez & director John Amos Beverly Land
- Gaia Girace
Italian actress
Gaia in pop culture
- Gaia Bawden
character in "The Casual Vacancy" by J. K. Rowling
- Gaia
character on animated series "Captain Planet"
- Gaia
character in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series
- Gaia
character in Michael Grant's Gone Series
- Gaia
spirit of Earth in the British TV series 'Edge of Darkness' (1985)
- Gaia
spirit in film 'Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within' (2001)
- Gaia Moore
main character in the 'Fearless' series by Francine Pascal
- Gaia
character on the television series "The Almighty Johnson's"
- Gaia Silverwood
character in the Spellcaster's Cataclysm Series
- Gaia
character on TV's "Rome"
- Gaia
planet in video game 'Final Fantasy VII'
- Gaia
character in TV's 'The 100'