Kaia

Kaia is a Scandinavian and Estonian feminine name, functioning as a short form of Katarina, itself the Scandinavian form of Katherine, which derives from the Greek Aikaterine of uncertain ultimate origin, though long associated by folk etymology with the Greek katharos, meaning pure. In Norway and Estonia the name has been in traditional use for centuries as an affectionate everyday diminutive. It gained broader international visibility in the early twenty-first century, partly through the prominence of model Kaia Gerber. Related forms include Kaja, which appears across several Nordic and Slavic languages, and the fuller Katherine and its many cognates.