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Maya

MAH-yah; MIE-uh; MAY-uh
Sanskrit, English, Hebrew, Estonian
"illusion, magic; mother; water; beloved, bitter, drop of the sea"
Clare Green
By Clare Green
Updated Tue Jul 01 2025

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.

To the Romans, Maia/Maya was the incarnation of the earth mother and goddess of spring, after whom they named the month of May.

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.

# 51 in the US

Maya Rank in US Top 1000

# 95 on Nameberry

Maya Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Maya

20 Names Similar to Maya

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

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

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