Maya (given name)

For other uses, see Maya (disambiguation).

Maia is the eldest of the Pleiades in Greek and Roman mythology and the mother of Hermes.

Maya is an alternate name of Hindu goddess Durga

Queen Māyā of Sakya was the mother of Buddha

Maya is a feminine name with multiple meanings. In Hindu philosophy, Māyā means "illusion" and in Hindu mythology, it is also an alternate name of the Hindu goddess Durga. According to tradition, Queen Māyā of Sakya was also the name of the mother of Siddartha Gautama, the Buddha. In Old Persian the name means "generous."

Maya can also be a name used as a tribute to the Maya peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America or to the Maya, a group of Indigenous Australians. Additionally, Maya can be a name of Japanese origin, with different meanings. Variants include Mayako and Mayaka. Mount Maya is a Japanese mountain named for the mother of Buddha.

Maya or Mya is also a name used by Muslims. In an Arabian and Indian-Pakistani context the meaning of the name Mya is ‘princess’ or ‘honourable matriarch'. In the Nepali language, "Maya" means "love."

The name is also used as a variant form of the Greek-origin name Maia (Μαια in Ancient Greek), the eldest of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes in Greek and Roman mythology. The unrelated name Maia, meaning "palm tree" in the Māori language, is popular for Māori girls in New Zealand.

Sometimes spelled Maja, it can also be used as a short form of Maria or Mary in Germany, Scandinavian countries, Poland, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Macedonia. 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.

The similar sounding Japanese name Mayu means "truth, reason," while some sources say Amaya (pronounced A-MAH-YAH) is a Japanese name meaning "night rain"

Another origin for the name Maya is the Tupi language spoken by Brazilian native Indians, meaning "Mother", and Mayara, meaning "Grandmother".

Maya has been a popular name for girls in recent years. It is currently among the top hundred names used for baby girls in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Norway, and Israel as well as in other countries. Alternate spellings proliferate, with the name sometimes spelled Maia, Maja, Maiya, Miya, Mya, or Myah. The similar name Mia is also sometimes used as a spelling variant of Maya.

Notable persons with this name

• Maya (High Priest of Amun), a High Priest of Amun until at least year four of Akhenaten
• Maya (Treasurer) (13th century BC), the treasurer to Pharaohs Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemheb of Egypt
• Maya Ali (b. 1969), British politician and solicitor
• Maya Ali (b. 1989), Pakistani actress and model
• Maya Angelou (1928–2014), African-American author and poet
• Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam (b. 1975), better known as M.I.A., British singer/rapper
• Maya Berović (b. 1987), Bosnian pop star
• Maya Bond (b. 2000), Japanese American singer
• Maya Bouskilla (b. 1977), Israeli singer
• Maya Days, an American singer
• Maya Deren (1917-1961), American avant-garde filmmaker
• Maya Dolas (1966-1991), Indian gangster
• Maya Gabeira (b. 1987), Brazilian surfer
• Maya Gold (b. 1981), stage name of a Hungarian pornographic actress
• Maya Jama, Somali-Swedish broadcast journalist
• Maya Kulenovic (b. 1975), Canadian artist
• Maya Lin (b. 1959), American architect and sculptor, designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Maya Mishalska (b. 1974), Mexican actress
• Maya Moore (b. 1989), American basketball player
• Maya Plisetskaya (1925-2015), Soviet born ballet dancer
• Maya Ritter (b. 1993), Canadian actress
• Maya Rudolph (b. 1972), American actress and Saturday Night Live cast member
• Maya Simantov (b. 1982), Israeli singer
• Maya Soetoro-Ng (b. 1970), half-sister of U.S. President Barack Obama
• Maya Stojan, (b. 1984), Swiss actress
• Maya Yoshida (b. 1988), Japanese professional footballer
• Maya (singer) (born 1979), K-Pop singer
• Maya (musician) (born 1979), vocalist of Japanese visual kei band LM.C

Fictional characters named Maya

• Maya the Bee, the main character of the 1912 German children's book The Adventures of Maya the Bee and its various adaptions
• Maya (comics), an Indian DC Comics super-heroine
• 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, one of the main characters in the Redakai: Conquer the Kairu franchise
• Maya Ibuki, a minor character in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise
• Maya Santos, a character from the children's animated series Maya & Miguel
• Maya St. Germain, a secondary character in the Pretty Little Liars series of young-adult novels

Live action TV

• Maya (Power Rangers), the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy
• Maya, an alien character on the television series Space: 1999
• 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 Maya, scripted by Jalal Din
• Maya, a minor character in Battlestar Galactica
• Maya Avant, a character from The Bold and the Beautiful

Games

• Maya (Killer Instinct), a character from video game Killer Instinct 2
• Maya Amano, a player character from videogame Persona 2
• Maya Do'Urden, a sister of Drizzt Do'Urden in Forgotten Realms
• Maya Fey, a secondary character in the Ace Attorney franchise.
• Maya, one of the six playable characters in the video game Borderlands 2
• Maya Ocean, one of the four pre-made mermaids in The Sims 3: Island Paradise
• Maya Torres, one of the playable characters in State Of Decay

See also

• Maia (disambiguation)
• Maja (given name)