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Baby names

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

Original poster

Maya or Maia?

61 replies

lucasnorth · 28/04/2009 22:01

What do people think?

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foxytocin · 29/04/2009 20:26

yes and in Hinduism, Maya is a goddess connected with creation and the evolution of things, ideas, etc. The Maya people never called themselves that. It is a name Western archaeologists stuck on them.

loobylu3 · 29/04/2009 20:23

cote, the spelling Maya dosen't com from the Mayan civilisation but from the ancient Indian language Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, Maya means an illusion. I don't really think it is the same as naming your child Arab!!

foxytocin · 29/04/2009 20:15

and you have the right to your opinion, cote.

chocdrop · 29/04/2009 19:44

Our dd2, age 9, is called Maia and we pronounce is May-a like the month of May. We decided we couldn't spell it Maya because the Mayan Indians are pronounced My-an and there's a computer graphics software package within the film industry called Maya pronounced My-a.

The only way we could be sure people would pronounce it our way would be to spell it Meyer - and my saucepans are made by Meyer so that was out!

It does cause difficulty sometimes and she's not assertive enough to correct people if they get it wrong. Sometimes we call her Mai which I really like.

I'm very interested in everyone's posts.

CoteDAzur · 29/04/2009 19:39

So did Muslim Arabs, yet I doubt if "Arab" will be a popular girls' name anytime soon

I still think Maia (goddess. beauty.) trumps Maya.

foxytocin · 29/04/2009 19:37

The Maya also developed the concept of zero independently of other civilizations and have a calendar which is more accurate than the one currently in use in the West. Among other things including the cultivation of chocolate.

Tales of vigins having their hearts ripped out on altars are vastly over stated.

CoteDAzur · 29/04/2009 19:22

Maia, definitely.

Maia is a goddess in Greek mythology, known for her beauty.

Maya is the pre-Columbian civilization with stepped pyramids on which virgins were sacrificed by having their hearts cut out.

I'm guessing you would prefer to name your daughter the former name

loobylu3 · 29/04/2009 19:16

Yes, our Maia sometimes gets mistaken for Mia too as this is more popular but not really a major problem.
We loved Maia because it is so multi-cultural too as that really suits our family. Couldn't find such a pretty, multicultural name for DD2 so she got a v English one in the end!

minxofmancunia · 29/04/2009 19:02

Maia, my dds name it's lovely, she does get called Mia tho and May-ah. Only by other adults in fact, the other children in her group at nursery pronounce it beautifully!

It's a gorgeous name, and so's she!

foxytocin · 29/04/2009 18:56

Maya is also used in Russia

Sari · 29/04/2009 18:43

We've got a Maia and she does get called Mia quite often. I've met several little girls called Maia/Maya and almost all of them have a parent or parents from a different country (our Maia included). It's the perfect name in that situation because it works in so many different languages and cultures. Where we are everyone is surprised that dd2 is not Indian when they hear her name. Other Maias I know have Czech, Geman, Italian, Polish, Swedish, Indian parents.

loobylu3 · 29/04/2009 18:35

Glad you like the name (DD1 is Maia). BTW, you dont have a Lucas do you? Just wondered as our DS is Lucas!

Original poster
lucasnorth · 29/04/2009 17:57

Thanks all. Sorry not to have posted earlier but until now all I got was a Siblu advert when opened any thread!

Glad there's such a positive reaction to the name; DH and I had thought we were down to a fight over two names (Nina or Elizabeth) until we saw Definitely Maybe on DVD; didn't like the film but the little girl is called Maya and we both liked the name

If we go for it we'd definitely pronounce it Ma-ya (July baby, not a May one puddock )

The reason for the query on spelling is that I'm usually very pro the 'right' spelling of names, just in this instance both spellings seem fairly equally common. I suspect that 'Maya' would be easier for strangers to pronounce/spell correctly, but also that 'Maia' is the 'classic' spelling (like Grumpyoldcaaaaaa's DD though I suspect we'd get a lot of 'Mia'). We have no Mayan connection, so no argument either way there!

Anyway, thanks again. I have lurked on Baby Names threads before and there seems to be an unusual degree of consensus that this is a nice name

OP posts:
foxytocin · 29/04/2009 17:17

I am from Belize. ~Yaxha NP is in the Peten in Guatemala, no? I've been to Tikal NP many many times for work.

Heated · 29/04/2009 17:13

Foxytocin, where from? My cousin spends a lot of time in Yaxha National Park and met her dh there, he works in finance connected to restoration. I'm in a very long queue of rellies and friends who want to visit!

Grumpyoldcaaaaaaaa · 29/04/2009 13:44

DD1 is Maia (pronounced Mya). She gets called 'Mia' and 'Maya' and has had some strange spellings (my favourite being the very literal 'Myer'). It's a lovely name and she adores having a slightly unusual name.

1Maya2 · 29/04/2009 13:26

Really lovely name

MrsMattie · 29/04/2009 12:59

Both lovely, but I personally prefer Maia.

foxytocin · 29/04/2009 12:58

[cough] I am half Ma-ya.

Only white folks say 'the May-a' hence pronouncing the girl's name like that.

Heated · 29/04/2009 12:49

Digressing a bit, yes foxytocin I was being a bit lazy, Mayan as an adj is used more in relation to the language rather than the culture -but- the point I was trying, and not quite making, was not about pn but about associations re the name. However, I still would pn the name Maya as May-a rather than Ma-ya.

moyasmum · 29/04/2009 09:20

maia is a greek goddess, and was also the roman name for a place we used to live near. Did consider it seriously,before plumping for you know what.

pottycock · 29/04/2009 09:11

MaYa, definitely.

loobylu3 · 29/04/2009 08:56

I think both spellings are lovely. We have a Maia of nearly 7 years old. We picked the name as my DH is of Indian origin and were looking for an Indian name that was short and sweet and easy to pronounce. The spelling Maya is the traditional Indian one (from the Sanskrit) and is definitely pn My-ah. Maia was the spelling used in ancient Greece/ Rome where Maia was the name of a goddess in both cultures. As far as I know, the pn would still have been My-ah.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maia_(mythology)

Plonker · 29/04/2009 00:46

Maia. Lovely.

lou33 · 28/04/2009 22:32

maia

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