Maya is an alternate name of Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

Maya is a female name in various languages with various meanings. In Sanskrit, for instance, Māyā means "illusion or magic", and is also an alternate name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.[1] In the Tupi language, of southern Brazil, it means "mother", while Mayara means "grandmother".[2] In the Māori language, the name means "courage" or "bravery",[3] and is popular for Māori girls in New Zealand.[4] 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.

Variously spelled Maia or Maja it can also be used as a short form of Maria or Mary in Christian culture such as 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.

Maya can be a variant of Arabic name "Mayya" (مية) which is coming from May (مي) and it means either good servant,or pretty woman or even Water[5], it was a popular name among the Medival arab women, one of the notable people who was named like this is "Mayya Bint Muqatil" the lover of the Arab poet "Dhul-Rumma"[6]

In Hebrew language Maya can be derived from Hebrew word Mayim (מים) that means Water. It can also mean "from God".

Popularity

All variants of the name are well-used in the English-speaking world and other countries. Maya has ranked among the one thousand most popular names for girls in the United States since 1970 and among the top one hundred most popular names for American girls since 2002. Spelling variant Maia has ranked among the top one thousand names for American girls since 1996.[7]

Notable people named Maya

Notable animals named Maya

Fictional characters named Maya

Live action TV

Games

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 Dicionario de nomes proprios.
  3. Entry in the Maori dictionary online.
  4. Most popular Maori baby names for 2012
  5. الشناوي, عيد (2022-01-01). "آراء الکوفيين في مبنيات الأسماء وأثرها الدلالي في تفسير القرطبي". مجلة علوم العربية. 2 (3): 177–192. doi:10.21608/malu.2022.99255.1006. ISSN 2786-0000.
  6. "Reference Works — Brill". referenceworks.brillonline.com. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  7. "Popular Baby Names".
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