Maori
names are used by the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maori.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Ahu m MaoriMeans "to tend, to foster, to bring up" in Maori.
Amohia m MaoriMeans "carry on the shoulder" or "rush, charge" in Maori.
Aotea f MaoriMeans "white cloud" in Māori. Aotearoa is the Māori name of New Zealand
Arahia f MaoriPathfinder, feminine word for chief, leader, one who leads the way
Aria f MaoriĀria means "tidal pool" in Māori. Ariā means "idea, concept" in Māori.
Haere m MaoriPersonification of the rainbow in Māori myth.
Hinemoa f MaoriFrom the Maori
hine meaning "girl, daughter" and
moa, the Maori name of an extinct species of bird.
Hira f MaoriMeans "great, important" or "abundant" in Maori.
Hiwa f MaoriShort for Hiwa-i-te-rangi, one of the stars in Te Kāhui o Matariki. Hiwa means "active" in Māori.
Hone m MaoriMaori form of
John. Hone Tūwhare (21 October 1922 – 16 January 2008) was a noted Māori New Zealand poet.
Huriata f & m MaoriMaori name meaning "Turn Morning" "Dawn" Or "Daylight". Huri means to 'turn' or 'change' and Ata means 'Morning'.
Kaea m & f MaoriMeans "leader of dance/song" in Māori.
Kaewa f MaoriMeans "wanderer, traveller" in Maori.
Kahukura m & f MaoriMeans "red ocre cape" Māori. Personification of the rainbow in Māori myth along with Haere and Ōuenuku.
Kaihau m & f MaoriVariant of Te Kaihau meaning "cloud eater" in Māori.
Kara f MaoriVariant of Kare meaning "friend" in Maori.
Karamea f MaoriMeans "red ochre" in Maori. Also a loan word from English, meaning "caramel".
Maehe f MaoriDerived from Maori
Māehe "(the month of) March".
Mahine f MaoriMeans "clean girl" or "white girl" in Maori.
Mairangi f MaoriEtymology uncertain, possibly from the Maori
mai meaning "for ages, for a long time" and
rangi meaning "day" or "sky, heaven".
Makuku f MaoriMeans "pleasantness, friendliness" in Maori.
Manuka m MaoriA New Zealand name for the flowering shrub/tree whose scientific name is Leptospermum scoparium, famous for the strong honey produced from its blossoms. The tree gets its name from Maori tradition, because Manuka was the name of one of the great ocean-going canoes which brought the Maoris to New Zealand... [
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Matariki f MaoriMaori feminine name meaning "small eyes", the name of the Pleiades.
Matewa f & m MaoriFrom mate meaning "want, to be overcome" and wā meaning "duration" in Māori. Also transliteration of personal name Mathers.... [
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Matuku m & f MaoriMeans "white heron" in Māori. Also Kōtuku.
Nui m MaoriMeans "large, abundant, of high rank, important" in Maori.
Ōuenuku m MaoriPersonification of the rainbow in Māori myth. Also Uenuku.
Pania f Maori, Polynesian MythologyPania, often styled "Pania of the Reef", is a figure of Māori mythology, and a symbol of the New Zealand city of Napier.
Riu m MaoriMeans "core, basin" in Māori.
Ruatapu m MaoriRuatapu tried to kill his half brother, Kahutia-te-rangi (who assumed the name Paikea) and drove him out, forcing him to survive by riding humpback whales to present day New Zealand
Rupe f MaoriFrom the Maori personification of the New Zealand pigeon or kererū.
Taia f MaoriMeans "to paint, to tattoo" in Māori.
Taika m MaoriMeans "tiger" in Māori. A notable bearer of this name is New Zealand actor and film director Taika Waititi (born 1975).
Taini f Maori (Rare)This is the name of Taini Morrison who was a Maori arts performer in New Zealand.
Takina m & f Popular Culture, MaoriMeans ‘required’ in
Maori. Also the name of a feral character appearing in the
Canadian Mockbuster film the Jungle Boy.
Tamaki m MaoriMaori name meaning the Auckland area of New Zealand.
Tamatea m MaoriMeans "moon on the eighth night of the lunar month" in Maori.
Tapu f MaoriMeans "sacred" and "forbidden" in Māori.
Tara f & m MaoriMeans "peak, point" in Māori. Also Māori for "sternidae".
Teao m & f MaoriMeans "the world, the day" in Māori.
Tearoha f & m MaoriMeans "the love" in Maori (
te, "the" and
aroha, "love"). A variant of
Aroha. May also be spelled Te Aroha.
Teina m & f Maorimeans "brother" in Maori language.
Tekaha m & f MaoriMeans "the strength, a ritual chant to give strength" in Māori.
Tekāhu m & f MaoriFrom
Te Kāhu meaning "harrier hawk" in Māori. Transliteration of "hawk".
Tiaki m MaoriMaori form of
Jack, coinciding with the Maori word meaning "guard, keep">
Tio m MaoriMeans "freezing cold" in Māori. Also Māori form of
Joe Toroa f & m MaoriDerived from Maori
toroa "albatross", ultimately from Maori
toro "to stretch; to extend".
Tui f & m MaoriTui is the Maori name for the bird (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae), which are easily identified for their small tuft of white feathers at the neck.... [
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Waiata f & m MaoriMeans "song" in Maori. Combined with
Aroha it means "song of love, love song" Waiata-aroha.
Waitara f MaoriDerived from the Maori
waitara, possibly meaning "mountain stream" or "pure water".
Winika f MaoriFrom the Maori name of Christmas orchids (
Dendrobium cunninghamii), a type of orchid that is endemic to the New Zealand. This name could also be written as
Te Winika, which means "the Christmas orchid".