Maya (given name)

For other uses, see Maya (disambiguation).

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]
Maya is an alternate name of Hindu goddess Lakshmi.
  • 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.
Hermes and his mother Maia on an Attic red-figure amphora, c. 500 BC (Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich)
  • 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 Miya, meaning "from God." It is also a variation of Mayim, meaning water.
  • In Tamil, Maayaa means indestructible. "Alivillatha"

Notable persons with this name

Fictional characters named Maya

Live action TV

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
  1. lakṣmī Archived 20 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Monier-Williams' Sanskrit–English Dictionary, University of Washington Archives
  2. Entry "Maya" at Behind the Name.
  3. Rosenkrantz, Linda and Satran, Pamela Redmond (2007). The Baby Name Bible. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-35220-2.
  4. Entry "Maya" at Dicionario de nomes proprios.
  5. Entry in the Maori dictionary online.
  6. Most popular Maori baby names for 2012
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