Maya Name Meaning
A sweet pick on the rise, Maya has the swoon-worthy meaning of “dream.” A name of mixed origins, she’s most associated with her Indian roots.
With her soft sound, Maya is right at home among the top girl names of today. Like the similar Mia, she’s short and sweet, yet she has an exotic flair that’s hard to miss. The inner Y styling matches many of today’s top picks like Aaliyah and Skylar and her M start rides the wave along with other popular M names for girls like Mila, Madison, and Mackenzie.
She’s effortlessly feminine, the perfect name for a little girl or adult alike. Like her meaning, Maya is as light and airy as a dream. A great pick for a little girl with her eyes on the sky, she’s ready and waiting to carry a little one to new heights. She’s a whimsical name with a soothing feel, her poetic ties to Maya Angelou adding to her appeal for many. Delicate and delightful, it’s no surprise that parents are loving Maya.
Maya does have other spelling variations as well, including Maia and Mya, though Maya is by far the most popular. Similar names to Maya include Kaya, Lilah, and Amaya.
Infographic of Maya name meaning, which is Maya means dream or illusion in Sanskrit and also appears in Greek mythology
Ask your friends & family about Maya…
Maya Name Popularity
How popular is the name Maya? Here’s everything we know.
| Year |
Rank |
# Births |
% Births |
| 1910 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1911 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1912 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1913 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1914 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1915 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1916 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1917 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1918 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1919 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1920 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1921 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1922 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1923 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1924 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1925 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1926 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1927 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1928 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1929 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1930 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1931 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1932 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1933 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1934 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1935 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1936 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1937 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1938 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1939 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1940 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1941 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1942 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1943 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1944 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1945 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1946 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1947 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1948 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1949 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1950 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1951 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1952 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1953 |
2,015 |
5 |
0.0003% |
| 1954 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1955 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1956 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1957 |
— |
0 |
0% |
| 1958 |
2,263 |
5 |
0.0003% |
| 1959 |
1,799 |
9 |
0.0005% |
| 1960 |
1,751 |
11 |
0.0006% |
| 1961 |
2,207 |
5 |
0.0003% |
| 1962 |
1,555 |
18 |
0.001% |
| 1963 |
1,957 |
8 |
0.0004% |
| 1964 |
1,577 |
17 |
0.001% |
| 1965 |
1,920 |
8 |
0.0005% |
| 1966 |
1,426 |
22 |
0.0014% |
| 1967 |
1,500 |
20 |
0.0013% |
| 1968 |
1,240 |
35 |
0.0023% |
| 1969 |
1,072 |
58 |
0.0038% |
| 1970 |
900 |
95 |
0.006% |
| 1971 |
960 |
83 |
0.0055% |
| 1972 |
904 |
87 |
0.0064% |
| 1973 |
948 |
78 |
0.006% |
| 1974 |
845 |
107 |
0.0082% |
| 1975 |
757 |
137 |
0.0107% |
| 1976 |
693 |
162 |
0.0126% |
| 1977 |
539 |
289 |
0.0214% |
| 1978 |
568 |
260 |
0.0193% |
| 1979 |
513 |
341 |
0.0242% |
| 1980 |
505 |
358 |
0.0245% |
| 1981 |
571 |
277 |
0.0188% |
| 1982 |
550 |
299 |
0.02% |
| 1983 |
610 |
236 |
0.016% |
| 1984 |
682 |
196 |
0.0132% |
| 1985 |
692 |
207 |
0.0136% |
| 1986 |
752 |
178 |
0.0118% |
| 1987 |
648 |
239 |
0.0157% |
| 1988 |
671 |
240 |
0.0154% |
| 1989 |
621 |
294 |
0.0182% |
| 1990 |
401 |
614 |
0.037% |
| 1991 |
440 |
538 |
0.033% |
| 1992 |
368 |
655 |
0.041% |
| 1993 |
276 |
979 |
0.0628% |
| 1994 |
246 |
1,101 |
0.0717% |
| 1995 |
228 |
1,217 |
0.0807% |
| 1996 |
202 |
1,418 |
0.0947% |
| 1997 |
182 |
1,654 |
0.1118% |
| 1998 |
123 |
2,675 |
0.1787% |
| 1999 |
113 |
2,837 |
0.1894% |
| 2000 |
113 |
3,010 |
0.197% |
| 2001 |
110 |
3,003 |
0.1993% |
| 2002 |
90 |
3,541 |
0.2363% |
| 2003 |
84 |
3,843 |
0.2526% |
| 2004 |
83 |
3,763 |
0.2469% |
| 2005 |
73 |
4,428 |
0.2896% |
| 2006 |
57 |
5,046 |
0.3223% |
| 2007 |
62 |
4,695 |
0.2976% |
| 2008 |
71 |
4,265 |
0.2759% |
| 2009 |
61 |
4,390 |
0.2937% |
| 2010 |
66 |
3,961 |
0.2749% |
| 2011 |
64 |
4,012 |
0.2816% |
| 2012 |
63 |
3,970 |
0.2786% |
| 2013 |
72 |
3,820 |
0.2683% |
| 2014 |
74 |
3,945 |
0.2708% |
| 2015 |
68 |
4,121 |
0.2832% |
| 2016 |
64 |
4,067 |
0.2821% |
| 2017 |
61 |
3,999 |
0.2865% |
| 2018 |
61 |
3,873 |
0.2819% |
| 2019 |
64 |
3,773 |
0.2787% |
District of Columbia (DC)
Data via SSA.gov.
Names Like Maya
If you like Maya, you’ll love these other names like Maya.
What names are diminutives of Maya?
A diminutive is a name that’s like Maya sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Maya, but shorter.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
May
|
The fifth month
|
English
|
|
|
|
Mimi
|
A diminutive form of Miriam and, through the French, of Wilhelmina.
|
French
|
|
|
What names are variants of Maya?
Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Maya.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
Maeja
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maia
|
Great; mother
|
Greek
|
|
|
|
Maiya
|
Rice valley
|
Japanese
|
|
|
|
Mayah
|
Great; mother
|
Greek
|
|
|
|
Meya
|
|
Scandinavian
|
|
|
|
Miah
|
|
Spanish
|
|
|
|
Miya
|
Temple
|
Japanese
|
|
|
|
Mya
|
Dream
|
Indian (Sanskrit)
|
|
|
What names sound like Maya?
If you like how Maya sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Maya.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
Kaya
|
Restful place, yew tree, forgiveness; home; stone; willow, wise child; the one with the beautiful body, profile
|
Turkish
|
|
|
|
Mia
|
Dear
|
Scandinavian
|
|
|
|
Mila
|
Dear and gracious
|
Slavic
|
|
|
|
Mira
|
Wonderful; peace; propserous
|
Spanish
|
|
|
What names are similar to Maya?
Find a name that’s like Maya, but just a little bit different.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
Aria
|
Vocal solo
|
English
|
|
|
|
Celeste
|
Heavenly
|
Latin
|
|
|
|
Layla
|
Night
|
Arabic
|
|
|
|
Lilah
|
Night
|
Arabic
|
|
|
|
Lucia
|
Of the light
|
Italian
|
|
|
|
Lucy
|
Of the light
|
English
|
|
|
|
Luna
|
The moon
|
Latin
|
|
|
|
Nina
|
Little girl
|
Spanish
|
|
|
|
Stella
|
Celestial star
|
Latin
|
|
|
|
Veda
|
Knowledge, wisdom
|
Indian (Sanskrit)
|
|
|
Lists With Maya
Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Maya.
Siblings of Maya
Mamas with kids named Maya also have kids with these names.
| Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
|
Ollie
|
Olive tree
|
Latin
|
|
|
|
Mariah
|
Of the sea
|
English
|
|
|
|
Gracelynn
|
Graceful
|
English
|
|
|
|
Logan
|
Small hollow
|
Scottish
|
|
|
