Maya is a female name with multiple meanings:
- In Sanskrit Māyā means "illusion or magic", and is also an alternate name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.[1]
- According to Buddhist tradition, Queen Māyā of Sakya was the name of the mother of Siddartha Gautama, the Buddha. (Mount Maya is a Japanese mountain named for the mother of Buddha.)
- Maya can be as well a name of Japanese origin, with different meanings. Variants include Mayako and Mayaka. The similar-sounding Japanese name Mayu means "truth, reason", while some sources say Amaya is a Japanese name meaning "night rain".[2][3]
- The name "Maya" in Amharic means "a lens that helps to see further".
- In the Nepali language, Maya means "love".
- In Old Persian the name means "generous".
- In Avestan, the name means "graciousness" or "gracious nature".
- In the Tupi language, spoken by Brazilian native Indians, it means "mother", while Mayara means "grandmother".[4]
- Maia in the Māori language, means "courage" or "bravery",[5] popular for Māori girls in New Zealand.[6]
- The name may be a variant form of the Greek 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 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.
- The name Maya can also be used as a tribute to the Maya peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America or to the Maya, a group of Indigenous Australians.
- In Hebrew, Maya has two meanings. One as an alternate form of Maia, meaning "Close to God." It is also a variation of Mayim, meaning river.
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 Ackerman, Russian-American computer scientist
- 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 Bar-Hillel (born 1943), Israeli psychologist
- Maya Kalle-Bentzur (born 1958), Israeli Olympic runner and long jumper
- Maya Berović (b. 1987), Bosnian pop star
- Maya Bond (b. 2000), Japanese American singer
- Maya Bouskilla (b. 1977), Israeli singer
- Maya Days, American singer
- Maya Deren (1917-1961), American avant-garde filmmaker
- Maya Diab (born 1980), Lebanese singer
- Maya Dolas (1966-1991), Indian gangster
- Maya Gabeira (b. 1987), Brazilian surfer
- Maya Hawke (born 1998), American actress
- Maya Kazan (b. 1986), American actress and director
- 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 Nasri (b. 1976), Lebanese singer
- Maya Okamoto (b. 1967), Japanese voice actress
- 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), Indonesian-American half-sister of U.S. President Barack Obama
- Maya Stojan (b. 1984), Swiss actress
- Maya Tahan (b. 1999), Israeli tennis player
- Maya Tskitishvili (b. 1974), Georgian economist and politician
- Maya Vik (b. 1980), Norwegian singer
- Maya Wiley (b. 1964), American civil rights activist
- Maya Yoshida (b. 1988), Japanese professional footballer
- Maya (singer) (b. 1979), South Korean K-Pop singer
- Maya (musician) (born 1979), vocalist of Japanese visual kei band LM.C
- Maja Włoszczowska (born 1983), Polish mountain biker, two-time Olympic silver medalist
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 (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 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
- 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 Yamato, drummer of the band Pastel＊Palettes from the BanG Dream! franchise
- Maya Tendo, one of the main characters from the Shojo Kageki Revue Starlight franchise
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
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
- Maya, one of the minor antagonists in Minecraft Story Mode who appears in episode 1 and episode 5.
See also
Notes
- ^ lakṣmī Archived 20 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Monier-Williams' Sanskrit–English Dictionary, University of Washington Archives
- ^ Entry "Maya" at Behind the Name.
- ^ Rosenkrantz, Linda and Satran, Pamela Redmond (2007). The Baby Name Bible. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-35220-2.
- ^ Entry "Maya" at Dicionario de nomes proprios.
- ^ Entry in the Maori dictionary online.
- ^ Most popular Maori baby names for 2012
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