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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Maya?

43 replies

Augustbaby21 · 02/08/2021 21:34

What do you think of the name Maya with the pronunciation MAY-A rather then MY-A?

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wanderlove · 05/08/2021 20:33

My daughter is called Maya pronounced as you want May-ah. I did consider thr Maia spelling but tbh it hadn’t been much of a problem. I love that the name has many meanings is different cultures and still
Love it as much as when I chose it. I am a teacher and have been teaching 10 years and have come across 2 Mayas 3 massive secondary schools. It’s well known but not super popular. My Maya had not come across another one in all her time at baby group, nursery or school. I’m still in love with her name

Original poster
Augustbaby21 · 05/08/2021 20:28

Thanks everyone - nice to see some lovely comments on the nameSmile

OP posts:
peaceinourtime · 05/08/2021 13:22

Maya was in the Bold and the Beautiful, that's what comes to mind.

Thelittleorangedog · 05/08/2021 13:03

Much prefer it pronounced your way. Lovely name.

FirstCoffee · 05/08/2021 12:58

I’ve never heard May-a and would find it a bit odd. Maya (Mya) and May are both lovely though.

Chilldonaldchill · 04/08/2021 23:51

I agree.
May is elegant, classic and very unusual as a first name - much less common than Maya (particularly when combined with Maia and Mya etc) - and you won't have any of the pronunciation issues.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 04/08/2021 22:01

@Augustbaby21

I do really like May as well I’m just not sure as a first name. Seems to a popular second name choice which makes me wonder if it’s to bland as a first name.
May is just gorgeous - I love that it's both a nature name (a flower), month name and a separate origin name in it's own right (links to Mary and Margaret) with a traditional Victorian/Edwardian vintage feel.

I do like Maya (especially when pronounced as "May-ah") but May is a classic imo - simple, sweet and elegant. It's a shame it's been overused as a second name but that doesn't effect it as a first name imo (as many middle names won't be used/known, often only the hyphenated ones). Not every short, simple name works with every surname but if it suits yours, May is a no-brainer to me.

NannyR · 04/08/2021 20:15

I know a three year old called May and I think it's lovely, it's way overused as a "filler" middle name, but quite unusual as a first name and sounds both strong and pretty.

DigitalGhost · 04/08/2021 20:11

Forgot to say it's pronounced my-ah/my-uh. Never heard the name may-a before but people still assume that's her name Confused

DigitalGhost · 04/08/2021 20:08

I have a Maia and it's 50/50 if someone pronounces it right. Figured you only have to correct people once and if they still get it wrong after that then they're an idiot lol.

daisypond · 04/08/2021 19:55

I much prefer May too. It has a refreshing simplicity about it, and no pronunciation problems. It’s great as a first name, unusual. As a middle name it is just a filler name.

Original poster
Augustbaby21 · 04/08/2021 19:08

I do really like May as well I’m just not sure as a first name. Seems to a popular second name choice which makes me wonder if it’s to bland as a first name.

OP posts:
Pemba · 04/08/2021 14:40

I strongly prefer the 'My-a' pronunciation, and you will get a lot of people assuming it's that.

May ?

Violetlavenders · 04/08/2021 07:17

Maya is often pronounced May-a. Like the name May with an a.

Adding an h doesn't change anything to the sound and feels unnecessary

Summer7 · 03/08/2021 22:18

It comes down to how you spell, your darling daughters name. Maya is "Mya" and May-ah is "May-a", there is no confusion... Refreshing discussion 💐 xx

Violetlavenders · 03/08/2021 21:10

You're definitely not mad. May-a is the most intuitive pronunciation of Maya imo.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 03/08/2021 20:40

You are definitely not mad - it's a perfectly legitimate pronunciation! But whether people will guess "May-ah" or "My-ah" first will depend on area - if you live in a place in the UK that's very cosmopolitan/lots of different nationalities then I think "My-ah" will be more common, so you'd need to be willing to put up with that.

Original poster
Augustbaby21 · 03/08/2021 20:30

Thank you, that’s what I thought.

I love the May-ah pronunciation but I don’t want people to think I’m mad by giving my baby a name that doesn’t exist.

OP posts:
IamnotwhouthinkIam · 03/08/2021 20:25

OP, I suspect the Goddess Maia would have been "My-ah" originally in Ancient Greek because of the pronunciation of fellow Greek Goddess Gaia ("Guy-ah") - however she is almost definitely where we get name of the month of May from as she was the Goddess of Spring and growth. Possibly a very long time ago English speaking people saw Maia written down and decided it was "May - ah", hence the pronunciation the month of May in English, who knows? Definitely Maya/Maia can be pronounced either way though!

Chilldonaldchill · 03/08/2021 20:17

I love it (because of Maya Angelou) but would always assume the my-a pronunciation.
I find may-a a very clunky sound. There are several in my DC's (very large) school and they are all pronounced my-a.

riotlady · 03/08/2021 20:06

I like it but having to correct people’s pronunciation all the time would put me off

Original poster
Augustbaby21 · 03/08/2021 20:02

@IamnotwhouthinkIam

Beautiful name and I personally think it's the prettier pronunciation. But you'll have to ignore those who say "My -ah" is the "correct" one - in English speaking countries both are used and in the UK, I think it's about 50/50.

The "May-ah" pronunciation comes from the Greek Goddess Maia (who is sometimes spelt Maya) from whom we derive the name of month of May in English. In most non- English speaking countries you'll automatically get "My-ah" though, so you'll need to bear that in mind.

Thanks everyone.

I wondered about the Greek goddess Maia and if that was pronounced May-ah as that’s how the month May was named. Seems that it can be pronounced either way.

OP posts:
FenceSplinters · 03/08/2021 16:03

It’s alright. It’s very ‘now’. There will be more than one in the classroom when she goes to school.

Marlena1 · 03/08/2021 16:02

I love it and regret not using it my first.

PaolaDiLorenzo · 03/08/2021 10:14

I think it's lovely. I know one but hers is spelt Maia. Most people pronounce it as Mai -a.

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