Girl name · Greek
Maya
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: variant of Maia, good motherMaya is a girl's name that is of Greek origin: variant of Maia, good mother. It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Variant of Maia, good mother
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #62 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Maya
As a girl's name, Maya is of Greek origin: variant of Maia, good mother. It is used in English.
Maya is also a surname: the 3,563rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 9,761 people. See the most common last names.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Maya on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Maya on 1 list.
“Plucky heroine of a 1912 German children's book”
From Bee names, famous and celebrity bee names
How popular is Maya?
- US rank in 2025
- #62
- 3,712 babies, 2,310 per million girls
- Best rank
- #49 in 2023
- Most babies: 5,047 in 2006
- Babies since 1940
- At least 123,587
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 2 per million |
| 1950s | 6 per million |
| 1960s | 23 per million |
| 1970s | 138 per million |
| 1980s | 175 per million |
| 1990s | 776 per million |
| 2000s | 2,167 per million |
| 2010s | 2,272 per million |
| 2020s | 2,478 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #64 | #60 | #62 | #64 | #61 | #55 | #51 | #49 | #51 | #62 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Maya
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- MaiaGood mother (Greek, girl)
Names spelled like Maya
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- MahaOryx (Arabic, girl)
- MaraBitter (Hebrew, girl)
- MayuCocoon (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- MartaLady, mistress (Aramaic, girl)
- MilaGracious, dear (Slavic, girl)
- MaudStrength in battle (Germanic, girl)
- MiraPeace, from Slavic Mir- names; in Sanskrit, sea (Slavic, girl)
- MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
- MiaPet form of Maria (Hebrew, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- TobiasGod is good (Hebrew, boy)
- AgataGood, from Greek agathos (Greek, girl)
- AliyahVariant of Aaliyah, high, lofty, sublime (Arabic, girl)
- CelineVariant of Céline, from Caelinus, from Caelius or caelum, heaven (Latin, girl)
- ElianVariant of names beginning with Eli, such as Elijah (Hebrew, boy)
- HassanHandsome, good (Arabic, boy)
- SadafSeashell, mother-of-pearl (Arabic, girl)
- AgathaGood (Greek, girl)
- AgatheGood one (Greek, girl)
- AilanyVariant of Ailani, possibly Hawaiian, to rule as chief (Hawaiian, girl)
- AmayaVariant of Amaia, Basque for the end (Basque, girl)
- ArlethVariant of Arlette, from Herleva, possibly army and legacy (Germanic, girl)
- AvaVariant of Eve, life; in Persian, voice (Hebrew, girl)
- AydenVariant of Aidan, little fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- BushraGood news (Arabic, girl)
Middle names for Maya
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Greek
- ElenaForm of Helen, probably from Greek torch (Greek, girl)
- IrenePeace, tranquility (Greek, girl)
- IrisA rainbow (Greek, girl)
- SofiaWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- SophieWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- ZoeLife, living (Greek, girl)
- AnastasiaResurrection, rising again (Greek, girl)
- ChristinaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- NicoleVictory of the people (Greek, girl)
- PetraRock, stone (Greek, girl)
- RitaA pearl (Greek, girl)
- AgnesPure, chaste (Greek, girl)
- AngelaMessenger, angel (Greek, girl)
- BarbaraForeign woman (Greek, girl)
- ChloeGreen shoot (Greek, girl)
- ClioGlory (Greek, girl)
- CorinnaMaiden (Greek, girl)
- DoraGift (Greek, girl)
Maya: common questions
What does the name Maya mean?
Maya is of Greek origin: variant of Maia, good mother. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Maya a boy or girl name?
Maya is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Maya come from?
Maya is of Greek origin: variant of Maia, good mother. Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Maya?
Maya ranked #62 in the US in 2025, with 3,712 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Maya?
Forms of Maya with the same meaning and origin include Maia (Greek).
What middle names go with Maya?
Middle names that flow well with Maya include Alexandra, Brooke, Daphne, Elise and Heather. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.