Maina is a name with multiple independent origins. Maina is a name of

age sets In anthropology, an age set is a social category or corporate social group, consisting of people of similar age, who have a common identity, maintain close ties over a prolonged period, and together pass through a series of age-related statuses. T ...

among some East African communities (mostly

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...

). To a lesser extent it is used as a name among the Abagusii (or Bantu Kosova) ethnic group. It is an Italian surname that belongs to the region of the Italian Alps, as well as a Latvian language

personal name A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is known ...

, descended from the

Finnish language Finnish ( endonym: or ) is a Uralic language of the Finnic branch, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish ...

''Maini''. Maina/Moyna/Mayna is an

Assamese Assamese may refer to: * Assamese people, a socio-ethnolinguistic identity of north-eastern India * People of Assam, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-religious people of Assam * Assamese language, one of the easternmost Indo-Aryan language ...

nickname in India. Maina/Mena/Meena/Mina is an Indian tribe. In the Philippines, girls born on the first of May are sometimes named Mayna.

Nigeria

Maina Maaji Lawan Maina Maaji Lawan (born 12 July 1954) a former governor and former senator for Borno State and a businessman-farmer, the CEO of Dansarki Farms. Background Maina Ma’aji Lawan, CON, was born 12 July 1954 at Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Are ...

(born 1954), former Nigerian politician, CEO of Dansarki Farms *

Adamu Maina Waziri Adamu Maina Waziri (born 14 September 1952) was appointed Nigerian minister of Police Affairs on 6 April 2010, when Acting President Goodluck Jonathan announced his new cabinet. Waziri was born in Yobe State on 14 September 1952. He earned a BSc ...

(born 1952), Nigerian politician and Minister of Police Affairs *

Hajiya Zainab Maina Hajiya Zainab Maina, FCIA, MFR (born 7 August 1948) was the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She was appointed in July 2011. Education and personal life Zainab Maina hails from Adamawa State ...

(born 1948), Nigerian politician and Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development *

Mohammed Maina Lt. Colonel Mohammed Maina was governor of Borno State, Nigeria during the military administrations of Generals Ibrahim Babangida. Maina was a member of the Lagos Zone military tribunal set up in 1984 by the administration of General Muhammadu B ...

, Nigerian politician and former governor of Borno State

Kenya

Maina is a name of Kenyan origin that in line with Kikuyu customs is linked to a certain age group or age set. *

Charles Gitonga Maina Charles Gitonga Maina (born 1976) is a 6'10" Kenyan-born former actor and basketball player best known for his co-starring role in the 1994 film ''The Air Up There''. Early life Charles Gitonga Maina was born in the Buruburu neighborhood of ...

(born 1976), Kenyan film actor and basketball player * Ephraim Maina, Kenyan politician and Member of Parliament for Safina * Esther Wanjiru Maina (born 1977), Kenyan long-distance runner and 1998 Commonwealth Games champion *

James Maina Boi James Maina Boi (4 April 1954 – 15 July 2004) was a Kenyan middle-distance runner. He is best known for winning the 800 metres distance at the 1978 All-Africa Games and a silver medal at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. He also competed in 4 x 400 ...

(1954–2004), Kenyan middle-distance runner and 1979 African champion * James Maina Kamau, Kenyan politician and Member of the National Assembly for the Party of National Unity *

Joseph Maina Mungai Joseph Maina Mungai (born in Kenya, 4 April 1932; died 13 August 2003) was the first African to become Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Nairobi. Besides a medical journal editor position, and a long-term stint as a newspaper ...

(1932–2003), Kenyan medical academic and researcher *

Leonard Mucheru Maina Leonard Mucheru Maina (born 13 June 1978 in Nyandarua) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who started from 2004 until 2007 as Mushir Salem Jawher ( ar, مشير سالم جوهر), having acquired the citizenship of Bahrain. Career Mucheru ...

(born 1978), Kenyan long-distance runner formerly competing for Bahrain * Maina wa Kinyatti (born bef. 1982), Kenyan Marxist historian and former political prisoner *

Steve Maina Stephen Maina Mwangi (born 1970) is a Kenya-born New Zealand Anglican bishop. He has been the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Nelson since 2019. Early life, education and career Maina was born in Kenya in 1970 and is the son and grandson of A ...

(born 1970), Kenyan-born New Zealand Anglican bishop

Others

* Maina Gielgud (born 1945), British dancer and dance administrator *

Maïna Kataki Maïna Kataki, née Juliette Pierre-Marie and nicknamed Nishtatai (1923 – 20 November 2011 in Pune, India) was a French-born feminist author based in Pune, India. She is known in the field of postcolonial foreign charity activities in India. Ear ...

(1923–2011), French-Indian feminist author *

Maina Sage Maina Sage is a French Polynesian politician and former Cabinet Minister. She was a member of the Assembly of French Polynesia from 2008 to 2017, and a member of the National Assembly for the 1st constituency of French Polynesia from 2014 to ...

(born 1975), French politician * Maina Sunuwar, Nepalese murder victim in 2004 * Pete Maina (born 1963), American professional fisherman and personality

Notes

{{given name, type=both Kenyan names