Maya: meaning and UK use

What does Maya mean?

The Sanskrit entry relates Maya to illusion or magic; the Hebrew entry derives it from a word for water. The English entry links it to Maia. These are distinct histories, not one combined translation.

Language or name family covered

Several independent language histories

Meaning or derivation

Meaning depends on the language

Our browsing group

girl; international, modern

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Maya
• Behind the Name — Maya
• Behind the Name — Maya

Pronunciation and related forms

MY-uh or MAY-uh (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Maia, Mya. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Maya?

In 2025, 1,259 baby girls in England and Wales were registered as Maya, making it the 28th most popular girls’ name. That is down 13 places on 2024, when it ranked 15th. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 37th, so it has climbed 9 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2024, at 15th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (girls)

28th

2025 registrations

1,259

Best rank in this series

15th (2024)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Maya: rank and number of baby girls by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	28	1,259
2024	15	1,592
2023	29	1,255
2022	28	1,406
2021	29	1,433
2020	32	1,331
2019	34	1,375
2018	37	1,260
2017	40	1,257
2016	39	1,374
2015	37	1,354
2014	45	1,200
2013	51	1,120
2012	53	1,072
2011	58	1,072
2010	57	1,061
2009	66	942
2008	69	964
2007	78	759
2006	79	735
2005	98	527
2004	85	609
2003	111	443
2002	103	444
2001	107	452
2000	110	454
1999	125	383
1998	173	250
1997	229	176
1996	259	145

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 girls series is 27,704. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Selected hyphenated registrations starting with Maya in 2025: Maya-Rose: 18 (girls). This selection includes up to four matching forms with at least ten registrations, not every compound name.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Maya

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Amarainternational, modern · Grace
• Ariamodern, international · Song or melody; literally air
• Diyainternational, modern · Lamp or light
• Freyamodern, international · Lady
• Miamodern, international · A short form of Maria
• Orlainternational, modern · An anglicised form of Órlaith

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Maya, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.