Maya is an alternate name of Hindu goddess Lakshmi . Maya is a primarily feminine name in various languages with various meanings. Originally from Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language, Māyā means "illusion or magic", and is an alternate name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi .[ 1]
In the Tupi language , of southern Brazil, it means "mother", while Mayara means "grandmother".[ 2] Māori language , the name means "courage" or "bravery",[ 3] Māori girls in New Zealand .[ 4] theonym Maia (Μαῖα in Ancient Greek ), the eldest of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes in Greek and Roman mythology .
Variously spelled Maia or Maja it can also be used as a short form of Maria or Mary in Christian culture such as Germany, the Scandinavian countries, and various East European and Balkan countries. Maya is also used as a short form for the name Amalia or the Basque name Amaia or Amaya (meaning "the end") in Spanish-speaking countries.[citation needed
Another variant of Maya is the Arabic name Mayya (مية) which comes from May (مي) which means either good servant, pretty woman or water,[ 5] medieval Arab women, one of the more notable ones being Mayya Bint Muqatil the lover of the Arab poet Dhul-Rumma [ 6]
In Hebrew Maya can be derived from the word Mayim (מים) which means Water.[citation needed
Popularity
All variants of the name are well-used in the English-speaking world and other countries. Maya has ranked among the one thousand most popular names for girls in the United States since 1970 and among the top one hundred most popular names for American girls since 2002. Spelling variant Maia has ranked among the top one thousand names for American girls since 1996.[ 7] [ 8]
Women
Maya Abu Al-Hayat , Palestinian novelist and poetMaya Ackerman , Russian-American computer scientistMaya Ajmera , American author, publisher, and nonprofit founderMaya Alagh , Indian television and film actressMaya Alcantara (born 2000), American born Filipina football defenderMaya Alhawary (born 1979), Emirati educatorMaya Ali (born 1989), Pakistani actressMaya Al-Zahrani (born 2008), Saudi footballerMaya Angelou (1928–2014), African-American author and poetMaya Arad (born 1971), American-based Israeli writerMathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam (born 1975), better known as M.I.A., British singer/rapperMaya-Gozel Aimedova (born 1941), Turkmen actressMaya Arusi (born 1982), Israeli taekwondo practitioner and OlympianMaya Attoun (1974-2022), Israeli multidisciplinary artistMaya Azucena , American singer-songwriter, recording artist and humanitarianMaya Badian (born 1945), Romanian-born Canadian composer, musicologist, and professor.Maya Banks , American romance writerMaya Bamert (born 1979), Swiss bobsledder and OlympianMaya Bar-Hillel (born 1943), Israeli psychologistMaya Barqui (born 1985), Israeli football defenderMaya Beiser (born 1963), American musician, cellist, performing artist and producerMaya Bejerano (born 1949), Israeli poetMaya Belenkaya (born 1931), former Soviet figure skaterMaya Kalle-Bentzur (born 1958), Israeli Olympic runner and long jumperMaya Berović (born 1987), Bosnian pop starMaya Bird-Murphy (born 1992), American architect and educatorMaya Blagoeva (born 1956), retired Bulgarian artistic gymnast and OlympianMaya Kaathryn Bohnhoff (born 1954), American science fiction and fantasy writerMaya Bouskilla (born 1977), Israeli singerMaya Brady (born 2001), American college softball playerMaya Bruney (born 1998), British-born sprinter with dual nationality who competes for Italy since 2021Maya Burman (born 1971), French artistMaya-Camille Broussard , American chef, author, and restaurant ownerMaya Bulgakova (1932-1994), Soviet and Russian actressMaya Burhanpurkar (born 1999), Canadian researcherMaya Buzinova (1929-2022), Russian animatorMaya Caldwell (born 1998), American professional basketball playerMaya Calé-Benzoor (born 1958), Israeli former Olympic runner and long jumperMaya Casabianca (1941-2018), French-Israeli singerMaya Devi Chettry (1921-1994), Indian politicianMaya Chinchilla , American poetMaya Choudhury , Indian actressMaya Chowdhry (born 1964), British playwright, poet and transmedia interactive artist.Maya Cloetens (born 2002), Belgian biathleteMaya Cohen Levy (born 1955), Israeli painter and sculptor.Maya Jane Coles , British music producer, audio engineer and DJMaya Cumming (born 2001), Australian singer-songwriter known professionally as MAY-A
D-H
Maya Days , American singerMaya Delilah (born 2000), English singer-songwriter and guitaristMaya Deren (1917–1961), Ukrainian born American avant-garde filmmakerMaya Diab (born 1980), Lebanese singerMaya DiRado (born 1993), American retired competitive swimmer and OlympianMaya Doms (born 2001), American professional women’s soccer playerMaya Dunietz (born 1981), Israeli musician and artistMaya Dusenbery , American journalist and authorMaya Ellis , British politicianMaya Erskine (born 1987), American actressMaya Eshet (born 1990), Israeli actressMaya Esparza , American politicianMaya Horgan Famodu (born 1991), Nigerian-American entrepreneur and business executiveMaya Fernández (born 1971), Chilean biologist, veterinarian and politicianMaya Fidawi , Lebanese illustrator of children’s booksMaya Forbes (born 1968), American screenwriter and television producerMaya Ford (born 1979), American musicianMaya Forstater (born 1973) British gender critical activistMaya Gabeira (born 1987), Brazilian surferMaya Vladimirova Georgieva (1955-2023), Bulgarian volleyball player and OlympianMaya Georgieva (born 1962), former Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastMaya Ghazal (born c. 1999), United Kingdom-based Syrian refugee, a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, the first female Syrian pilot, and a Diana Award winner.Maya Ghosh (1949-2019), Bangladeshi film, stage and television actressMaya Glezarova (1924-2017), Russian violinist and academicMaya Goded (born 1967), Mexican photographer and documentary film maker.Maya Gold (born 1981), Hungarian pornographic actressMaya Christina Gonzalez (born 1964), American artist, illustrator, educator and publisher of Chicana descentMaya Gordon (born 2001), American soccer playerMaya Goshen (born 2000), Israeli judoka and OlympianMaya Govind (1940-2022), Indian lyricistMaya Green , American a community based HIV screening and prevention program.Maýa Gulyýewa (1920-2018), Turkmen and Soviet soprano opera singer and actressMaya Hahn (born 2001), New Zealand footballerMaya Haïdar Boustani , Lebanese archaeologist and museum curatorMaya Hakvoort (born 1966), Dutch musical actressMaya Hanoomanjee (born 1952), Mauritian politicianMaya Harris (born 1967), American lawyer, public policy advocate, and writer and sister of Kamala HarrisMaya Harrisson (born 1992), Swiss-Brazilian alpine skier and OlympianMaya Hawke (born 1998), American actressMaya Hayes (born 1992), American soccer coach and former playerMaya Hayuk (born 1969), American artistMaya Higa (born 1998), a conservationist and Twitch streamer who streams under the nameMaya Hijikata (born 2004), Japanese professional footballerMaya Hungerbühler (born 1943), Swiss former swimmet and Olympian
Maya Inchikyan (1930-2013), Armenian and Soviet organic chemistMaya Isacowitz (born 1987), Israeli singer-songwriterMaya Jackson Randall (1979-2013), American journalistMaya Jama (born 1994), British television presenter and radio DJMaya Jasanoff (born 1974), American academicMaya Jayapal (born 1941), Indian historian, author, columnist, teacher, and counselor.Maya Joint (born 2006), American-born Australian tennis playerMaya Jribi (1960-2018), Tunisian politicianMaya Kamath (1951-2001), Indian cartoonistMaya Karin (born 1979), Malaysian film actress, television host and singerMaya Katsumura (born 2002) Japanese Idol of Japanese group NiziUMaya Kazan (born 1986), American actress and directorMaya Kenig , Israeli film director, writer and actressMaya Khromykh (born 2006), Russian figure skaterMaya Kingma (born 1995), Dutch triathlete and OlympianMaya Kobayashi (born 1979), Japanese journalistMaya Kodnani , Indian politicianMaya Koizumi (born 1988), Japanese actress, tarento, and former gravure idolMaya Kopitseva (1924-2005), Soviet-Russian still-life artistMaya Koveshnikova (1926-2013), Russian painterMaya S. Krishnan , Indian actress and comedianMaya Kristalinskaya (1932-1985), Soviet-Russian singerMaya Kucherskaya (born 1970), Russian fiction writer, columnist, critic and pedagogueMaya Kulenovic (born 1975), Canadian artistMaya Lasker-Wallfisch (born 1958), British psychoanalytic psychotherapist, author and educator, specialising in transgenerational traumaMaya Lauqué (born 1979), French journalist and television presenterMaya Lavelle , international singer-songwriter composer, record producer and music video producerMaya Lawrence (born 1980), American fencer and OlympianMaya Learned (born 1996), American rugby union playerMaya Leibovich , Israeli rabbiMaya Le Tissier (born 2002), British professional footballerMaya Lin (born 1959), American architect and sculptor, designer of the Vietnam Veterans MemorialMaya Lindholm (born 1990), German wheelchair basketball player and ParalympianMaya Lucia (born 2003), Maltese footballerMaya MacGuineas (born 1968), American president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal BudgeMaya Marcel-Keyes (born 1985), American social and political activist and daughter of Republican politician Alan KeyesMaya Maron (born 1980), Israeli actressMaya Matouk (born 1998), Trinidadian footballerMaya McCutcheon (born 2001), American professional women’s soccer playerMaya Merhige , American marathon swimmerMaya Meschkuleit (born 2001), Canadian rower and OlympianMaya Millete (born 1981), American woman who went missing in 2021Maya Mishalska (born 1974), Mexican actressMaya Moore (born 1989), American basketball playerMaya Morsy , Egyptian political scientist, specialist in public policy, and advocate for woman's and human rightsMaýa Musaskaýa (born 2000), Turkmen professional footballer
Maya Naroliya , Indian politicianMaya Nasr (born 1997), Lebanese academicMaya Nasri (born 1976), Lebanese singerMaya Nassar (born 1986), Dutch-Lebanese competitive fitness model, TV host and entrepreneurMaya Nasser (1979-2012), Syrian journalistMaya Neelakantan (born 2013), Indian Tamil musicianMaya Newell , Australian filmmakerMaya Okamoto (born 1967), Japanese voice actressMaya Paczuski (born 1963), Israeli born American academicMaya Panta , Nepalese politicianMaya Parnas (born 1974) Transnistrian politician and was the former acting Prime Minister of TransnistriaMaya Paunovska (born 1988), retired Bulgarian group rhythmic gymnastMaya Pedersen-Bieri (born 1972), Swiss-Norwegian skeleton racer and OlympianMaya Pellegrini (born 2002), American born Chilean footballerMaya Penn (born 2000), American entrepreneur, philanthropist, animator, artistMaya K. Peterson (1980-2021), American historianMaya Petrova (born 1982), Russian former handball layerMaya Pindyck (born 1978), American poet, scholar, and visual artistMaya Plisetskaya (1925–2015), Soviet born ballet dancerMaya Postepski , Canadian musician and producerMaya Rao (1928-2014), Indian classical dancer, choreographer and educator, in Kathak danceMaya Krishna Rao (born 1935), solo Indian theatre artist, stand-up comedian and social activistMaya Ray (1927-2013), Indian lawyer and politicianMaya Reaidy (born 1995), Lebanese model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Lebanon 2018Maya Rehberg (born 1994), German steeplechase athleteMaya Ritter (born 1993), Canadian actressMaya Lynne Robinson , American actress, writer and producerMaya Rockeymoore Cummings (born 1971), American consultant and politicianMaya Rogers (born 1978), American business executiveMaya Rosa (born 1986), Indonesian former tennis playerMaya Rossin-Slater , American health economistMaya Rudolph (born 1972), American actress and Saturday Night Live cast memberMaya Rumantir (born 1964), Indonesian model, actor, singer and politician of Minahasa descentMaya Rupert (born 1981), American political strategist, writer, and advocate
Maya Saban (born 1978), German singerMaya Sakura (born 1998), Japanese enka singer and child actressMaya Sansa (born 1975), Italian actressMaya Sar (born 1981), Bosnian singer-songwriterMaya Sazonova (born 1965), Kazakh race walker and OlympianMaya Schenwar (born 1982), American journalist and editorCountess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau (1958-2019), German socialite.Maya Shankar , Indian cognitive scientistMaya Shemichishina (born 1972), Ukrainian hurdler and OlympianMaya Shenfeld , Israeli composer and musicianMaya Shoef (born 1988), Israeli actressMaya Simantov (born 1982), Israeli singer and songwriterMaya Singh (born 1950), Indian politicianMaya Sondhi (born 1983), British Indian actressMaya Simantov (born 1982), Israeli singerMaya Soetoro-Ng (born 1970), Indonesian-American half-sister of U.S. President Barack ObamaMaya Sonenberg , American short story writerMaya Stange , Australian actressMaya Stein , German mathematicianMaya Stojan (born 1984), Swiss actressMaya Stovall , American conceptual artist and anthropologistMaya Sumbadze (born 1972), Georgian artistMaya Surduts (1937-2016), Latvian-born, French activist and women's rights supporterMaya Tabakova (born 1978), Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast and OlympianMaya Tandon (born 1936), Indian anesthesiologist and road safety activistMaya Tahan (born 1999), Israeli tennis playerMaya Tatsukawa , American author and illustrator of children's booksMaya Thakuri (born 1946), Nepali writerMaya Tiwari (born 1952), humanitarian, world peace leader and author from GuyanaMaya Tolstoy , marine geophysicist investigating earthquakes in the deep seaMaya Trotz , Guyanese environmental engineer and academicMaya Tskitishvili (born 1974), Georgian economist and politicianMaya Turovskaya (1924-2019), Soviet and Russian theatrical and film critic, film historian, screenwriter, and culturologistMaya Ulanovskaya (1932-2020), American-born Russian-Israeli dissident in the Soviet Union and professor, writer, and translator in Israel.Maya Usova (born 1964), Russian former ice dancer and OlympianMaya Vik (born 1980), Norwegian singerMaka Maya Virsaladze (born 1971), Georgian music composer and academicMaya Washington , American filmmaker, actress, playwright, poet, writer, visualist, and arts educatorMaya Wertheimer (born 1990), Israeli actress, model and television presenter.Maya Weug (born 2004), Dutch-Belgian-Spanish racing driverMaya Widmaier-Picasso (1935-2022), French born daughter of artist Pablo PicassoMaya Wildevuur (1944-2023), Dutch painterMaya Wiley (born 1964), American civil rights activist and lawyer, 2021 mayoral candidate for New York City Maya Yamazaki (born 1974), Japanese politicianMaya Yamout , Lebanese social workerMaya Yazbek (born 1967), Lebanese singerMaya Yoshida (born 1988), Japanese professional footballerMaya Yukihi , Japanese professional wrestlerMaya Zankoul (born 1986), Lebanese author, visual artist, blogger and television personalityQueen Maya of Silla Maya (singer) (born 1979), South Korean K-Pop singerC
Men
Maya (High Priest of Amun) , a High Priest of Amun until at least year four of AkhenatenMaya (Treasurer) (13th century BC), the treasurer to Pharaohs Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemheb of EgyptMaya (musician) (born 1979), vocalist of Japanese visual kei band LM.Maya Dolas (1966–1991), Indian gangsterMaya Ranjan (1913-1968), Sinhala writer and schoolteacher from Sri LankaMaya Singh Saini , Indian freedom fighterMaya Thevar (1934-2022), Indian politicianMaya Yoshida (born 1988), Japanese professional footballer
Notable animals named Maya
Fictional characters named Maya
Maya (comics) , an Indian DC Comics super-heroineMaya (Ninjago) , a character in Ninjago Maya, the alter ego of the Marvel Comics superhero Paragon
Maya, the original name given to Aelita in the French animated TV series Code Lyoko
Maya (Azumanga Daioh) , a minor character in the shōnen manga Azumanga Daioh Maya (Is the Order a Rabbit? ) , a character in the manga series Is the Order a Rabbit? Maya, one of the main characters in the Redakai: Conquer the Kairu
Maya, one of the main characters in Hiroki Endo's manga series Eden: It's an Endless World!
Maya, fictional CIA intelligence analyst who tracked down Osama bin Laden from the film Zero Dark Thirty
Maya Aida , a.k.a Mana Aida, protagonist of Glitter Force Doki Doki /DokiDoki! Pretty CureMaya the Bee The Adventures of Maya the Bee and its various adaptionsMaya Blart, character and daughter of the titular character in Paul Blart: Mall Cop Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
Maya Hansen , a scientific who appeared in Marvel Comics and in the Iron Man 3 Fuuga no Maya, is a male who is half human and half angel in the animated series Saint Beast
Maya Kennedy, minor character in Futari wa Pretty Cure
Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, recurring character in The Proud Family revival Louder and Prouder
Maya Lopez, the Marvel Comics character known as Echo
Maya Ibuki , a minor character in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchiseMaya Markowitz, a character in Raquel Palacio's Wonder
Maya Santos, a character from the children's animated series Maya & Miguel
Maya St. Germain , a secondary character in the Pretty Little Liars Maya Tendo, one of the main characters from the Shojo Kageki Revue Starlight
Maya Yamato, drummer of the band Pastel＊Palettes from the BanG Dream!
Live action TV
Maya Mehrotra/Maya Arjun Sharma, the lead character from the Sony Entertainment Television India drama series, Beyhadh
Maya (Power Rangers ) , the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy Maya , an alien character on the television series Space: 1999 Maya Bennett , a recurring character in the Disney Channel series The Suite Life on Deck Maya Chinn , a character from the American daytime soap opera Passions Maya Fisher, a character from the HBO TV show Six Feet Under
Maya Gallo, a character in the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me
Maya Herrera , a character in the NBC drama series, Heroes Maya Wilkes, a character from the American sitcom Girlfriends
Maya the Magnificent, the title elephant of the 1966 film and 1967 TV series Maya
Maya, a minor character in Battlestar Galactica
Maya Avant , a character from The Bold and the Beautiful Maya Matlin , a character in the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation Maya Hart , a character in the Disney Channel show Girl Meets World Maya Monster, Muppet character in the 2017 Sesame Street Live
Maya dela Rosa-Lim, a character in ABS-CBN drama series Be Careful with My Heart
Maya Young, a character in the television series Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight
Games
See also
Notes
