Maya (given name)

Maya is a female 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 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".
 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 the Tupi language, spoken by Brazilian native Indians, it means "mother", while Mayara means "grandmother".
 Maia in the Māori language, means "courage" or "bravery", popular for Māori girls in New Zealand.
 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 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.

Notable persons with this name
 Maya (High Priest of Amun), a High Priest of Amun until at least year four of Akhenaten
 Maya (Treasurer) (13th century BC), the treasurer to Pharaohs Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemheb of Egypt
 Maya Ackerman, Russian-American computer scientist
 Maya Ali (b. 1989), Pakistani actress and model
 Maya Angelou (1928–2014), African-American author and poet
 Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam (b. 1975), better known as M.I.A., British singer/rapper
 Maya Bar-Hillel (born 1943), Israeli psychologist
 Maya Kalle-Bentzur (born 1958), Israeli Olympic runner and long jumper
 Maya Berović (b. 1987), Bosnian pop star
 Maya Bond (b. 2000), Japanese American singer
 Maya Bouskilla (b. 1977), Israeli singer
 Maya Days, American singer
 Maya Deren (1917-1961), American avant-garde filmmaker
 Maya Diab (born 1980), Lebanese singer
 Maya Dolas (1966-1991), Indian gangster
 Maya Gabeira (b. 1987), Brazilian surfer
 Maya Hawke (born 1998), American actress 
 Maya Kazan (b. 1986), American actress and director
 Maya Kulenovic (b. 1975), Canadian artist
 Maya Lin (b. 1959), American architect and sculptor, designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
 Maya Mishalska (b. 1974), Mexican actress
 Maya Moore (b. 1989), American basketball player
 Maya Nasri (b. 1976), Lebanese singer
 Maya Plisetskaya (1925–2015), Soviet born ballet dancer
 Maya Ritter (b. 1993), Canadian actress
 Maya Rudolph (b. 1972), American actress and Saturday Night Live cast member
 Maya Simantov (b. 1982), Israeli singer
 Maya Soetoro-Ng (b. 1970), half-sister of U.S. President Barack Obama
 Maya Stojan (b. 1984), Swiss actress
Maya Tskitishvili (born 1974), Georgian economist and politician
 Maya Vik (b. 1980), Norwegian singer
Maya Wiley (b. 1964), American civil rights activist
 Maya Yoshida (b. 1988), Japanese professional footballer
 Maya (singer) (born 1979), K-Pop singer
 Maya (musician) (born 1979), vocalist of Japanese visual kei band LM.C
 Maja Włoszczowska (born 1983), Polish mountain biker, two-time Olympic silver medalist

Fictional characters named Maya 
 Maya the Bee, the main character of the 1912 German children's book The Adventures of Maya the Bee and its various adaptions
 Maya (comics), an Indian DC Comics super-heroine
 Maya, the alter ego of the Marvel Comics superhero Paragon
 Maya, the original name given to Aelita in the French animated TV series Code Lyoko
 Maya (Azumanga Daioh), a minor character in the shōnen manga Azumanga Daioh
 Maya (Is the Order a Rabbit?), a character in the manga series Is the Order a Rabbit?
 Maya, one of the main characters in the Redakai: Conquer the Kairu franchise
 Maya Ibuki, a minor character in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise
 Maya Santos, a character from the children's animated series Maya & Miguel
 Maya St. Germain, a secondary character in the Pretty Little Liars series of young-adult novels
 Maya, one of the main characters in Hiroki Endo's manga series Eden: It's an Endless World!
 Maya, fictional CIA intelligence analyst who tracked down Osama bin Laden from the film Zero Dark Thirty
 Maya Yamato, drummer of the band Pastel＊Palettes from the BanG Dream! franchise
Maya Tendo, one of the main characters from the Shojo Kageki Revue Starlight franchise

Live action TV 
 Maya Mehrotra/Maya Arjun Sharma, the lead character from the Sony Entertainment Television India drama series, Beyhadh
 Maya (Power Rangers), the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy
 Maya, an alien character on the television series Space: 1999
 Maya Chinn, a character from the American daytime soap opera Passions
 Maya Fisher, a character from the HBO TV show Six Feet Under
 Maya Gallo, a character in the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me
 Maya Herrera, a character in the NBC drama series, Heroes
 Maya Wilkes, a character from the  American sitcom Girlfriends
 Maya the Magnificent, the title elephant of the 1966 film and 1967 TV series Maya
 Maya, a minor character in Battlestar Galactica
 Maya Avant, a character from The Bold and the Beautiful
 Maya Matlin, a character in the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation
 Maya Hart, a character in the Disney channel show Girl Meets World

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

See also
Maia (name)
Maja (given name)
Mia (given name)

Notes

Category:Feminine given names
Category:Arabic feminine given names
Category:English feminine given names
Category:Indian feminine given names
Category:Pakistani feminine given names
Category:Spanish feminine given names