Given name & surname · also Indian
Maya
“an illusion; a dream”·“woman of the water”
Maya is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “an illusion; a dream” and “woman of the water”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Original Hebrewמַאיָה
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “an illusion; a dream” and “woman of the water”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Indian and Hebrew naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1940. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Maya has a related form in Maia. The history of Maia gives this family its wider story. In mythological stories, Maia is associated with the goddess of spring.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Maya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 123,750
- 163 boys · 123,587 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 5,053 babies
- 2025
- 3,712
- #62 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 3,712 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 62 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 5,047 in 2006. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (658). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 103,000 as a first name in 2020; 9,761 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Maya’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Maya has a diminutive in MAYANG. In English usage, Maya has a related form in Mary. In English usage, Maya has a related form in Maria.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Maya has relatives in 17 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Hebrewwhere Maya comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 7
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 16
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Maya
- Maya AngelouAmerican poet, author, and civil rights activist (1928–2014)
- Maya PlisetskayaRussian ballet dancer (1925-2015)
- Maya YoshidaJapanese association football playerborn 1988
- Maya HawkeAmerican actress and singer-songwriter (born 1998)
- Maya RudolphAmerican actress and comedianborn 1972
- Maya DerenUkrainian-born American avant-garde filmmaker (1917–1961)
- Maya LinAmerican sculptor and architect (born 1959)
- Maya SarBosnian singerborn 1981
- Maya MooreAmerican basketball player (born 1989)
Characters named Maya: Echo (Marvel Comics).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Maya, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Miranda
“one who is worthy of admiration”
>99% girls
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Meena
Meena is used as a given name and a surname. One Hindi interpretation is “resembling a fish; in Hinduism, the daughter of the goddess Usha.”
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Zana
“one having great fame”
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Uma
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Madri
17% boys · 83% girls
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Sine
“God is gracious” · “a victorious man”
9% boys · 91% girls