Maya (given name)

Originally from Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language, Māyā means "illusion or magic", and is an alternate name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

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.

[citation needed] Another variant of Maya is the Arabic name Mayya (مية) which comes from May (مي) which means either good servant, pretty woman or water,[5] It was also a popular name among medieval Arab women, one of the more notable ones being Mayya Bint Muqatil the lover of the Arab poet Dhul-Rumma[6] In Hebrew Maya can be derived from the word Mayim (מים) which means Water.

[citation needed] All variants of the name are well-used in the English-speaking world and other countries.

Spelling variant Maia has ranked among the top one thousand names for American girls since 1996.