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Summary
- No one named Maya appears in the Bible, and no translation uses the name.
- The English Maya is a form of Maia, from a Greek word meaning “good mother,” the name of the eldest of the Pleiades in Greek myth.
- In Sanskrit māyā means “illusion,” and in Buddhist tradition Maya is the name of the Buddha’s mother.
- The Hebrew Maya comes from mayim, “water,” the word in Genesis 1:2; it ranked fifth among girls’ names in Israel in 2024.
- In Germany, Scandinavia and eastern Europe, Maja is also a short form of Maria, the name of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
- Maya is not in the Russian Orthodox calendar of saints, so Russian Orthodox girls named Maya are baptized with a saint’s name.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Maya” (entries 1, 2 and 3), “Maia” and “Maja” (entry 2), with United States popularity figures from Social Security Administration data and the 2024 ranking for Israel. https://www.behindthename.com/name/maya-2
- “Maya (given name),” Wikipedia, on Maja and Maia as short forms of Maria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(given_name)
- “Maia,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maia
- Andrei Efanov, “Как выбрать имя для Крещения Майи?” (How to choose a baptismal name for Maya?), Foma, 27 June 2024. https://foma.ru/kak-vybrat-imja-dlja-kreshhenija-maji.html
- Azbyka.ru, “Имена святых, упоминаемых в месяцеслове. Буква М” (Names of saints in the menology, letter M). https://azbyka.ru/days/menology/M
- “Maya Angelou,” Wikipedia, on her name and her membership of Mount Zion Baptist Church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou
- Scripture quotation: Genesis 1:2, English Standard Version.
