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Māori Pēpi Names: Trending Kōtiro and Tama Names

Te reo Māori names have grown steadily in registrations over the past two decades. This list tracks the kōtiro and tama names New Zealand whānau are choosing, ranked by recent registrations.

Trending te reo Māori names

  1. 01Koa
    Tama · 222 a year
  2. 02Maia
    Kōtiro · 221 a year
  3. 03Manaia
    Neutral · 220 a year
  4. 04Nikau
    Tama · 216 a year
  5. 05Kaia
    Kōtiro · 166 a year
  6. 06Aroha
    Kōtiro · 166 a year
  7. 07Mātai
    Tama · 157 a year
  8. 08Tāne
    Tama · 156 a year
  9. 09Anahera
    Kōtiro · 140 a year
  10. 10Rāwiri
    Tama · 64 a year
  11. 11Kōwhai
    Kōtiro · 60 a year

About this data: figures come from Department of Internal Affairs birth registrations for 1954-2025. The DIA only publishes a name for a given year when at least 10 babies were registered with it, so rarer names - and rarer spellings - are missing entirely, and a name can drop out of the record in quieter years. Spelling variants are counted separately, and counts reflect first names as registered.

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