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 Hebrew, the name Maya (מַיָּה/מאיה in Hebrew) is a short form of "ma'ayan," meaning "spring" or "brook." 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. 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.
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