Maya

MAH-yah; MIE-uh; MAY-uh

Sanskrit, English, Hebrew, Estonian

"illusion, magic; mother; water; beloved, bitter, drop of the sea"

Maya Origin and Meaning

The name Maya is a girl's name of Hebrew, Spanish, Greek origin meaning "illusion, magic; mother; water; beloved, bitter, drop of the sea".

Maya, which has an almost mystical image, has been steadily climbing in popularity in the US and the English-speaking world, along with a range of other countries, including France, Germany, Israel, and Brazil. It's ranked in the US Top 100 since the turn of this century, but has never risen to the top of the list, which you may consider a good thing.

In addition to being the name of a Central American culture, Maya was the legendary Greek mother of Hermes by Zeus, and means "illusion" in Sanskrit and Eastern Pantheism. It can also be spelled Maia, though both names have so many possible origins and meanings that not all of them are related.

Famed author Maya Angelou was born Marguerite; Maya was coined by her brother saying "mya sister." Its best known current bearers include performer Maya Rudolph and architect Maya Lin.

Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke's actress daughter is Maya Ray. British designer Phoebe Philo also has a Maya, named for Angelou, as does Israeli actress Gal Gadot.

Maya Rank in US Top 1000

# 50 in the US

Maya Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 95 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Maya

• 50 US 2023
• 95 Nameberry 2025
• 19 Canada 2023
• 39 Future 2035
• 29 England 2023
• 19 Scotland 2024
• 18 Ireland 2024
• 44 Australia 2024
• 58 New Zealand 2024
• 68 France 2023
• 26 Germany 2017
• 52 Netherlands 2024
• 16 Brazil 2024
• 86 Sweden 2024
• 78 Belgium 2023
• 81 Switzerland 2023
• 152 Poland 2020
• 5 Israel 2023
• 45 Dogs 2023
• 46 Cats 2023

20 Names Similar to Maya

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Maya.

• Sofia
• Layla
• Zoe
• Eva
• Chloe
• Mia
• Leila
• Isabelle
• Zara
• Camila
• Aubrey
• Lia
• Liliana
• Lila
• Bella
• Lilliana
• Sienna
• Savannah
• Elena
• Keira

Famous People Named Maya

• Maya Micallef a popular writer on Wattpad
• Maya Stojan actress
• Maya Queen of Sakya, mother of Buddha
• Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Ann Johnson) American poet
• Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam aka M.I.A. British singer,songwriter
• Maya Mikhaylovna Plisetskaya Soviet born Spanish,Lithuanian prima ballerina assolata, choreographer, ballet director, and actress
• Maya Deren (born Eleonora Derenkovskaya) American avant,garde filmmaker
• Maya Khabira Rudolph American actress and comedienne
• Maya Ying Lin American architect
• Maya April Moore American basketball player
• Maya Berovic Bosnian pop singer
• Maya Gilbert American actress
• Maya Thompson American songwriter and cancer activist
• Maya Simantov Israeli singer,songwriter
• Maya Kulenovic Bosnian,Canadian painter
• Maya Bouskilla Israeli pop singer
• Maya Bond Japanese,American singer,songwriter
• Maya Ritter Canadian actress
• Gate Maya Samuelsson Ethiopian,born model; wife of celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson
• Maya Widmaier Picasso, daughter of painter Pablo Picasso and Marie,Thérèse Walter
• Madeline "Maya" Dirado American swimmer
• Maya Kassandra Soetoro half,sister of U.S. President Barack Obama
• Maya Fahey (b. 1989) daughter of actress Victoria Rowell and Tom Fahey
• Maya Ray Thurman Hawke (b. 1998), actress; daughter of Uma Thurman & Ethan Hawke
• Maya Celia Sally Wigram (b. 2004) daughter of designer Phoebe Philo and Max Wigram
• Maya Rose Weisman (b. 2006) daughter of actor Kevin Weisman
• Maya Versano (b. 2017) daughter of actress Gal Gadot and Yaron Versano
• Maya Gabeira Brazilian surfer

The name Maya in Pop Culture

• Maya character in the book series "Maximum Ride" by James Patterson
• Maya Matlin character on TV's "Degrassi: The Next Generation"
• Maya Ward character on American soap "General Hospital"
• Maya Fey character in the "Ace Attorney" video game series
• Maya main character in 2013 film "Zero Dark Thirty"
• Maya character in video game "Borderlands 2"
• Maya Santos main character on animated series "Maya & Miguel," twin to Miguel
• Maya St. Germain character in the "Pretty Little Liars" series
• Maya Gallo character on TV's "Just Shoot Me!"
• Maya recurring character in the "Harvest Moon" video game series
• Maya Bennett character on TV's "Suite Life on Deck"
• Maya main character in "Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator"
• Maya Bennett daughter of Sam and Naomi on TV's "Private Practice"
• Maya Penelope Hart character on TV's "Girl Meets World" portayed by Sabrina Carpenter
• Maya Tamerlane Fikry main character in "The Storied Life of AJ Fikry," by Gabrielle Zevins
• Maya dancer in video game 'Dragon
• Maya Delaney character in Kelley Armstrong's "Darkness Rising Series"
• Maya Fallegeros character in the "Killer Instinct" video games series
• Maya character in TV show "The 100"
• Maya Herrera Dominican character in TV show "Heroes"
• Maya Vargas character portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in the 2018 Film "Second Act"

International Variations of the name Maya

• Mayanita Spanish
• Maj Scandinavian
• Maja Scandinavian