Maya?

[Augustbaby21]

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

May ?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

@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.

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.

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

Much prefer it pronounced your way. Lovely name.

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

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

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