Entry № 7650 · Other origin

Wairua Wairua — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ wai-ROO-ah /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Other
Meaning
"Spirit / soul (Maori Indigenous Polynesian foundational)"
Syllables
3
Rank · US 2025
№ 0
First recorded
Ancient (Maori)

A name that means "spirit / soul (maori indigenous polynesian foundational)".

Wairua is from the Maori Wairuaspirit, soul. A modern American baby name in the broader Maori-Polynesian heritage aesthetic. Wairua is one of the foundational Maori feminine + unisex names — central to traditional Maori Indigenous Polynesian heritage of foundational Aotearoa New Zealand. The foundational Maori wairua concept is central to foundational pan-Maori cosmological-philosophical heritage — foundational Te Ao Māori worldview + foundational wairua as eternal spiritual essence + foundational whakapapa genealogical-spiritual lineage + foundational Te Wheke (Octopus model of Māori health by foundational Rangimarie Rose Pere) where wairua is one of 8 dimensions of wellbeing. Foundational subject of foundational Māori cultural revival heritage post-1970s Te Reo Māori revitalization + foundational Waitangi Tribunal 1975 + foundational Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi 1840). Foundational Maori feminine name.

Featured throughout Maori heritage.

Spirit / soul (Maori Indigenous Polynesian). Foundational Maori-Polynesian feminine + foundational Maori wairua concept + foundational pan-Maori cosmological-philosophical heritage + foundational Te Ao Māori worldview + foundational wairua as eternal spiritual essence + foundational whakapapa genealogical-spiritual lineage + foundational Te Wheke Octopus model of Māori health by Rangimarie Rose Pere + foundational Māori cultural revival post-1970s Te Reo Māori revitalization + foundational Waitangi Tribunal 1975 + foundational Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840.

The name in its native script.

Wairua
Transliteration
Wairua
Pronunciation
/ waɪˈruː.ə /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Wairua stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 0 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 0 in 0
Babies named Wairua · last year
88 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
0
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · — NOW · —

Wairuas before her.

Real people

In fiction
Wairua
Maori spirit / soul.

Names connected to Wairua.

The number behind Wairua.

9

The Humanitarian

Wairua reduces to nine.

Why families chose this name.

"Maori spirit. Six letters. Wairua."
Aroha · Mother of one · Auckland