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Maya (given name)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maya is an alternate name of Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

Maya is a primarily feminine name in various languages with various meanings. Originally from Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language, Māyā means "illusion or magic", and is 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.[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]

Popularity

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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] In 2022, it was the 21st most popular name given to girls in Canada.[8]

Women

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A–C

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D-H

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I–M

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N–R

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S–Z

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Men

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Notable animals named Maya

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Fictional characters named Maya

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Live action TV

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Games

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See also

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Notes

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  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". Archived from the original on 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  8. ^ "Table 17-10-0147-01 First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators (Number)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
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