Name
Maya
Meaning
Maya is a feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning “illusion, magic”.
In Sanskrit philosophy, maya is the shimmering illusion that veils ultimate reality, and Queen Maya was the mother of the Buddha. The name separately exists in Hebrew, Greek, and Spanish traditions, but the dreamlike Sanskrit meaning is its oldest, and bearers from Maya Angelou to Maya Rudolph have made it beloved in America.
A US top-100 girls' name for most of the past two decades.
Popularity in the United States
Girls
Ranked #62 in 2025 · peak #49 in 2023
Data: US Social Security Administration, top-1000 ranks.
At a glance
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- Gender
- Feminine
- Pronounced
- /MY-ah/
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Questions
Maya is a feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning “illusion, magic”. In Sanskrit philosophy, maya is the shimmering illusion that veils ultimate reality, and Queen Maya was the mother of the Buddha.
Maya is traditionally a feminine (girl) name. It is a US top-100 girls' name for most of the past two decades.
The name Maya comes from Sanskrit. In Sanskrit philosophy, maya is the shimmering illusion that veils ultimate reality, and Queen Maya was the mother of the Buddha. The name separately exists in Hebrew, Greek, and Spanish traditions, but the dreamlike Sanskrit meaning is its oldest, and bearers from Maya Angelou to Maya Rudolph have made it beloved in America.
Maya is pronounced MY-ah.
More names that mean dream
Names that share this meaning.