Māori Names and Meanings
42 Māori names from Aotearoa New Zealand, with meanings and pronunciation. Names of trees, birds, rivers, and the gods and heroes of Māori tradition.
Māori girl names
| Name | Gender | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anahera | Girl | angel | ah-nah-HEH-rah |
| Aroha | Girl | love, compassion | AH-roh-hah |
| Ataahua | Girl | beautiful | ah-tah-AH-hoo-ah |
| Hine | Girl | girl, young woman | HEE-neh |
| Hinemoa | Girl | the legendary maiden who swam Lake Rotorua to reach her lover Tūtānekai | hee-neh-MOH-ah |
| Huia | Girl | the sacred, now extinct bird whose feathers marked high rank | HOO-ee-ah |
| Kahurangi | Girl | precious, treasured, the blue-green variety of pounamu (jade) | kah-hoo-RAHNG-ee |
| Kōwhai | Girl | the native tree with golden flowers, New Zealand's unofficial national flower | KOH-fye |
| Maia | Girl | bravery, confidence | MY-ah |
| Marama | Girl | moon, light | MAH-rah-mah |
| Mere | Girl | Māori form of Mary | MEH-reh |
| Ngaio | Girl | a coastal native tree, also clever, reflective | NYE-oh |
| Pania | Girl | the legendary maiden of the reef at Napier | PAH-nee-ah |
| Rangimārie | Girl | peace, calm sky | rahng-ee-MAH-ree-eh |
| Wai | Girl | water | WYE |
| Waiora | Girl | health, water of life | wye-OH-rah |
| Whetū | Girl | star | FEH-too |
Māori boy names
| Name | Gender | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ariki | Boy | chief, high-born leader | ah-REE-kee |
| Hēmi | Boy | Māori form of James | HEH-mee |
| Hone | Boy | Māori form of John | HOH-neh |
| Ihaia | Boy | Māori form of Isaiah | ee-HYE-ah |
| Kauri | Boy | the giant native conifer, symbol of strength | KOW-ree |
| Kiwa | Boy | legendary guardian of the ocean, the Pacific is Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa | KEE-wah |
| Matiu | Boy | Māori form of Matthew | MAH-tee-oo |
| Māui | Boy | the demigod who fished up the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) | MAH-oo-ee |
| Mikaere | Boy | Māori form of Michael | mee-kah-EH-reh |
| Nikau | Boy | the native New Zealand palm | NEE-kow |
| Rangi | Boy | sky, Ranginui, the sky father | RAHNG-ee |
| Rāwiri | Boy | Māori form of David | RAH-wee-ree |
| Tama | Boy | son, boy | TAH-mah |
| Tāne | Boy | man, Tāne Mahuta, god of forests and birds | TAH-neh |
| Tiaki | Boy | guardian, to protect | tee-AH-kee |
| Tūtānekai | Boy | the legendary flute-playing lover of Hinemoa | too-TAH-neh-kye |
| Wiremu | Boy | Māori form of William | wee-REH-moo |
Unisex Māori names
| Name | Gender | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aotea | Unisex | white cloud, one of the great migration canoes | ow-TEH-ah |
| Awa | Unisex | river | AH-wah |
| Kai | Unisex | food (in Māori it means food, not sea) | KYE |
| Manaia | Unisex | a guardian figure in Māori carving, bird-headed and serpent-tailed | mah-NYE-ah |
| Manu | Unisex | bird | MAH-noo |
| Moana | Unisex | ocean, sea | moh-AH-nah |
| Rata | Unisex | the native tree with crimson flowers | RAH-tah |
| Tui | Unisex | the native songbird with a white throat tuft | TOO-ee |
How Māori names work
Te reo Māori is the Polynesian language closest in sound to Tahitian and Cook Islands Māori. It kept the t and r that Hawaiian turned into k and l, so Tāne is the Māori form of Hawaiian Kāne and Rangi is the cousin of Lani. Wh is pronounced like f, and ng is a single soft sound as in “singer”.
Many popular Māori names come from the natural world, Nikau (palm), Kauri (the giant conifer), Kōwhai (golden-flowered tree), Tui and Huia (birds), Awa (river), and Marama (moon). Virtue names include Aroha (love), Maia (bravery), Ataahua (beautiful), and Rangimārie (peace).
Names from tradition
Hinemoa and Tūtānekai are the lovers of Rotorua. Pania is the maiden of the reef at Napier. Māui is the demigod who fished up the North Island, Te Ika-a-Māui. These names are widely used and carry no restriction, though families often choose them to honor a particular iwi (tribe) connection.