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Baby names

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Original poster

Are Mia and Maya the same name?

31 replies

EssentialHummus · 11/03/2017 18:16

Do you see these names as being variations of one name?

We have a Maya in the family and it's not the done thing for us to name after living relatives - just wondering if we can get away with Mia.

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Out2pasture · 12/03/2017 03:23

another me-ah and my-ah

TheUnicorns · 12/03/2017 03:14

I'd say Mia as mee-uh and maya as may-uh. Mya is my-uh. Mia is a separate name as it's a nn of Amelia.

RuthB4 · 12/03/2017 03:06

Mia - Mee-ah
Maya - My-ah

Both are lovely and different names in my view.

Sophronia · 11/03/2017 23:01

Different names

Original poster
EssentialHummus · 11/03/2017 22:05

altered I have never heard of Mia and Me, will have a google/hope it goes off air if we go with Mia

I'm really heartened that no-one so far thinks these are variations on one name, gives me a bit of hope!

OP posts:
florascotianew · 11/03/2017 21:18

No, they have different origins.

Mia (Mee-ah) is a traditional short from of Maria. It happens also to mean 'mine' in Italian.

Maya or Maia (My-yah or May-yah) is either based on an ancient Greek/Roman name for a goddess or celestial being OR on an old Sanskrit/Hindu name meaning 'illusion' (used to refer to certain manifestations of a goddess) OR a traditional Hebrew name meaning 'water'.

user1486076969 · 11/03/2017 21:17

Different

fueledbybacon · 11/03/2017 21:15

Mia means mine in Italian. Pronounced Me-ah its a shorter pronunciation than Mee-ah as said above.

alteredimages · 11/03/2017 21:11

Definitely different names EssentialHummus. It's really tricky finding names that work in multiple languages.

On the other hand, be aware that there is truly horrendous kids tv programme called Mia and Me. It is a pastiche of every crap children's fantasy story ever.

OneSecondAfter · 11/03/2017 21:05

To me they are pronounced

Mia = Mee-a
Maya = My-a

So quite different, yes.

ChippieBeanAndHorro · 11/03/2017 20:51

But tbh, I prefer Maya to Mia. Mia just means "mine" (to me personally), which isn't all that nice, tbh... Sorry.

ChippieBeanAndHorro · 11/03/2017 20:50

They aren't the same at all imo.

And as long as they aren't sisters it's perfectly alright.

I have cousins called Milo, Mila, Miro and Mira... Which is a bit too much imo. But not confusing ;) (unless you meet all the other cousins. Grandpa was the 13th child...)

crapfatbanana · 11/03/2017 20:48

Mia - mee-ya. A bit drippy. Not keen.

Maya - My-ya. Fierce. Cool.

In my very humble opinion.

SuperBeagle · 11/03/2017 20:45

Maya is MY-uh, as far as I know (and in my experience), whereas Mia is ME-uh.

I much prefer Mia.

Original poster
EssentialHummus · 11/03/2017 18:42

llan Mair is beautiful, but we are having a hard enough time of it looking for a name that works in English, Hebrew and Russian, and I thinking sticking Welsh in there is a bridge too far Grin. (Also visually looks very similar to the Hebrew boys' name Meir/Meyer.)

OP posts:
BackforGood · 11/03/2017 18:39

I'd have though Mia is usually pronounced Me - ah
That Maya would be pronounced May-ah
and that Mya would be pronounced My-ah

but (in my job I come across lots of people that I have to then write down their names) life has taught me it is never that simple and you get all sorts of varieties of what you might expect to be simple and straight forward.

flowery · 11/03/2017 18:35

I'd pronounce Maya as my-ah, Mia as me-ah

EdenX · 11/03/2017 18:35

Generally I think Mia is mee-ah

Maya can be my-ah or may-ah.

KoalaDownUnder · 11/03/2017 18:34

Actually, I do know one Maya pronounced May-uh. It always seems kind of wrong to me.

Whatslovegottodo · 11/03/2017 18:33

I think it's a confusing one as I know 'Mia' pronounced me-ah and my -ah, and 'Maya' pronounced may-ah and my-ah!
So both have different potential pronounciations and a chance they could be the same way.

ByTheWishingWell · 11/03/2017 18:32

Going off the ones I've met, I'd assume Maya is pronounced My-ah and Mia is pronounced Me-ah.

llangennith · 11/03/2017 18:32

What about the Welsh name Mair? Pronounced My-er by English people.

FrenchLavender · 11/03/2017 18:32

I pronounce Mia like Mee-a and Maya like My-a.

I don't think of them as the same name.

WreckTangled · 11/03/2017 18:31

I don't think they're too similar at all then. I would also say me-ah. Ds has a Mia in his class pronounced my-ah though, her mum isn't English though so maybe that's why Smile

KoalaDownUnder · 11/03/2017 18:31

Maya is pronounced my-uh, surely?

Mia is me-uh.

Different names, in my book.