Maya

Did you know?

A few things about Maya you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Maya

Maya Angelou

American poet, author, and civil rights activist (1928–2014)

Choose Maya and your child shares a first name with Maya Angelou, an American poet, author, and civil rights activist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Maya, like who?” Maya Angelou's Wikipedia article is available in 145 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Maya Angelou on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 433 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Maya, 3,712 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Maya.
• 📜HistoryMaya first shows up in US birth records in 1940, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 85 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2023, when it reached #49.
• 📍Where it's lovedMaya is most popular in Massachusetts, where it ranks #18, followed by Hawaii (#22) and Washington, D.C. (#23). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Sanskrit, Maya means “illusion”. Our records link it to Hindu, Russian and Spanish roots.
• 🌍OriginMaya is the most popular Hindu girl name in the US. That's out of 161 Hindu girl and unisex names in our list.

About the name Maya

Maya is a girl name of Hindu, Russian and Spanish origin meaning “illusion”. It has 4 letters and 2 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-aya”. US birth records list Maya for girls from 1940 to 2025, in 80 of those 86 years. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked #49 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #62, with 3,712 babies.

Origin:Hindu namesRussian namesSpanish names