Maya
Meaning of Maya
Maya is a petite, globe-trotting name with a suitcase full of meaning. In ancient Sanskrit it shimmers with the sense of “magic” and “illusion,” while Hebrew parents hear the gentle splash of “water,” and Latin-speaking myth lovers recall Maia, the springtime goddess who tends new life on Mount Olympus. Whether it’s voiced as MY-uh in English or the softer MAH-yah in Spanish and Italian, its two simple syllables feel friendly on almost any tongue. Thanks to that easy charm—and perhaps a wink to poet Maya Angelou or Queen Maya, the Buddha’s mother—the name has hovered comfortably around the American Top 100 for nearly two decades, landing at No. 51 this year. It’s short enough for playground shout-outs, yet worldly enough to suggest a little passport waiting to be stamped. For parents, Maya offers a sweet blend of down-to-earth and quietly mystical, like sunshine glinting off a calm river: familiar, refreshing, and just a hint enchanted.
Pronunciation
Italian
- Pronunced as MAH-yah (/ˈma.ja/)
Spanish
- Pronunced as MAH-yah (/ˈmaʝa/)
English
- Pronunced as MY-uh (/ˈmaɪə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Maya
| Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist whose seven autobiographies, notably I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and decades of work in literature and media earned her international acclaim and numerous honors. |
| Maya April Moore is an American social justice advocate and former basketball star, named Sports Illustrated Performer of the Year in 2017 and selected for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025. |
| American architect, designer, and sculptor Maya Ying Lin, born in Athens, Ohio to Chinese immigrants, studied architecture at Yale and is the younger sister of poet Tan Lin. |
| Maya Rudolph is an American actress and comedian who joined Saturday Night Live in 2000 and appeared in supporting roles in 50 First Dates, A Prairie Home Companion, and Idiocracy. |
| Maya Soetoro-Ng - Maya Soetoro Ng is an Indonesian born American academic at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a consultant to the Obama Foundation, and the maternal half sister of Barack Obama. |
| Maya Wiley is an American lawyer, professor, and civil rights leader who has been president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights since 2022, after serving as counsel to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, chairing the Civilian Complaint Review Board, working as an MSNBC legal analyst, and placing third in the 2021 Democratic mayoral primary. |
| Maya Widmaier-Picasso - Maya Ruiz Picasso, eldest daughter of Pablo Picasso and Marie Therese Walter, devoted herself to preserving the legacy of her father. |
| Maya Gabeira is a Brazilian big wave surfer who holds the record for the largest wave surfed by a woman with a 22.4 meter ride at Nazare in 2020 and also set the mark in 2018. |
| Maya Lynne Robinson is an American actress, writer, and producer known for playing Geena on The Conners and Michelle on the CBS series The Unicorn. |
| Maya Kazan is an American actress best known for playing Eleanor Gallinger on the TV series The Knick. |
| Maya Forbes is an American screenwriter and television producer who wrote The Rocker and many episodes of The Larry Sanders Show, produced The Larry Sanders Show and The Naked Truth, and directed Infinitely Polar Bear. |
| Kim Young-sook, known as Maya, is a South Korean pop rock singer and actress who debuted in 2003 with the album Born To Do It, which included the hit single Azalea. |
| Maya Penn is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, animator, artist, and CEO of her eco friendly fashion company Mayas Ideas. |
| Alex Mathew, known as Maya the Drag Queen or Mayamma, is an Indian drag performer who began in 2014 and is also an actor, singer, motivational speaker, and corporate professional. |
| Maya Jalloul is a chess champion from Lebanon. |
