Name of the Week: Taika

December 17

This week’s Name of the Week was nominated by @Rosebeth!

If you would like to nominate a name yourself, you can head over to the name of the day thread on our forums.

Taika

Taika is a striking name with two completely separate origins and meanings.

In Māori, Taika is a boy’s name meaning “tiger”. Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people indigenous to mainland New Zealand.

This fierce nature name —pronounced “TY-ka” is recognizable to some through the successful filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi — himself of Māori descent and passionately outspoken about the importance of Māori storytelling.

In Finnish, Taika is a girl’s name inspired by the word taika meaning “magic” or “spell”, often in a ritualistic sense. This enchanting name is tied to sorcery and witchcraft, which was a prevalent theme in 16th-19th century Finland — over 2000 people were charged with witchcraft and magic throughout this period.

The Finnish pronunciation is slightly different than its Māori counterpart — “TAH-ee-ka”.