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At a Glance: Name: Maya – Meaning: illusion (in the Sanskrit-origin usage); in Western usage often a variant of Maria – Origin: Multiple unrelated origins (Sanskrit, also Hebrew/Latin via Maria, or Greek Maia) – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: MY-ah
Maya is a name for a girl, pronounced MY-ah, and it has stayed a classic choice rather than a trendy one. You may have come across the claim that it means 'water' from Hebrew, but that isn't accurate — the real threads behind it are separate: Sanskrit maya, meaning 'illusion,' a Hebrew/Latin form of Maria, and the Greek name Maia. So it's really a name with more than one distinct root rather than a single origin story.
Meaning & Origin of Maya
Meaning: Illusion (in the sanskrit-origin usage); in western usage often a variant of maria.
Origin: Multiple unrelated origins (Sanskrit, also Hebrew/Latin via Maria, or Greek Maia).
A common claim: Maya is frequently claimed on baby-name sites to mean 'water,' often attributed to Hebrew origin. Actually: Maya doesn't trace to a root meaning 'water.' Its established origins are Sanskrit maya ('illusion'), a variant of Maria, or the Greek name Maia.
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Maya
Phonetic: MY-ah IPA: /ˈmaɪə/
Popularity of Maya
Maya hit its high point at #50 in 2023 with 4,085 babies given the name, then eased slightly to #51 in 2024 with 4,220 — a small rank shift even as the count of babies named Maya grew.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1940–2024.
Make Maya Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Maya, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Maya mean?
Illusion (in the sanskrit-origin usage); in western usage often a variant of maria. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Maya)
How do you pronounce Maya?
Maya is pronounced MY-ah (IPA: /ˈmaɪə/).
Is Maya a popular name right now?
Maya is near its all-time peak (#50 in 2023), ranked #51 in 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1940–2024.)
📊 How popular is Maya? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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