Message: "Maya or Maia (more)"

Maya or Maia (more)

by Lily (Destry)

6/14/2013, 9:15 AM

I really like Maya at the moment. A few years ago I was worried it would make the top 20 but its popularity seems to be going down, there were less girls named Maya born in 2012 than in 2011 (even though the name went up by one place) and Maia and Mya lost much of their popularity.

I used to prefer the spelling Maia. I didn't like Maya at all. But now Maya has really grown on me.

They do have different meanings. Maia means 'great' and Maya can mean 'water' or 'illusion'. Which meaning do you prefer? Do you pronounce them differently? I say them both MY-ah, not MAY-ah.

The only spelling I really dislike is Mya but it seems to be losing in popularity.

#Maia #Maya

Replies

- Alcyone

6/15/2013, 4:26 PM

I like both, and pronounce both "MY-a." I prefer the appearance of Maia, but as far as meanings go, I prefer "water" to "great." I think I'd go with Maia.

- Millie (ImSorryIfILoveYou96)

6/15/2013, 1:22 AM

I would say both Maia and Maya as MAY-ah. Mya would be MY-ah.
Where I live if you spelt it Maya (or Maia) and pronounced is MY-ah you'd get a lot of funny looks and would have to be constantly telling people how to say/spell it.
I like both sounds, I like the MY-ah sound more but dislike the look of Mya. Maia and Maya are alright but I generally prefer just May.

- Marija Luminitsa

6/14/2013, 10:28 PM

I've always found Maia to be more aesthetically pleasing. I pronounce both the same. I don't mind Maya though and like you I also dislike Mya.

- Violet (dlilly)

6/14/2013, 7:30 PM

I say them both MY-ah and I like both Maia and Maya. I think I prefer the meaning "water/illusion" better than "great," however. I agree that Mya is an unattractive spelling.

- gigibee

6/14/2013, 7:23 PM

I love Maya. It is pretty, simple and ages well.

I prefer this spelling.

Maia is OK. Mya seems inadequate, and makes me want to say ME-ya.

- Pink Princess

6/14/2013, 4:55 PM

I prefer the Maya version of the name. I don't really love either meaning tbh. I pronounce both versions of the name MY-ah.

- Phoebe (Kate)

6/14/2013, 4:50 PM

I pronounce them the same (MIE-ə, according to this site's pronunciation guide). I like the "water" meaning the best, but I prefer the Maia spelling (I also like Maja). For some reason I don't really like Maya.

- Julia (JuliaF)

6/14/2013, 4:06 PM

I prefer Maya, which I love. Maia is too vowel-y for me. I say them both MY-ah.

- Ninor (Frozten)

6/14/2013, 1:25 PM

I really like Maya, but this is the only spelling I like. I know Maja and Maia are just other spellings, but they feel like different names to me. I prefer Maya's meaning as well. Illusions are cool, and I've always been drawed to water.

- Hola123

6/14/2013, 12:12 PM

My preferred spelling is Maya. I just think it looks the nicest, and I think it's kind of cool because it reminds me of the Riviera Maya in Mexico. Maia isn't nearly as pretty, imo. Mya is the worst. I'm not super into meanings, but I do prefer Maya's meaning to Maia's.

- kudriashkajo (jodirae)

6/14/2013, 11:48 AM

I like the sound of MY-ah so much. I think Maya is my favourite spelling, because the y dipping below the bottom evens out the M standing tall. Does that make sense? As for meaning, I always kinda like the Hebrew, because it feels Biblical (for me that's a plus, I don't know about you). Also, of great, water, and illusion, I'd lean toward water as my favourite meaning.

Mya looks dumbed-down, like a young child sounding out the name.

- Elena

6/14/2013, 11:03 AM

Maia is more classic and stylish to me. I also prefer the meaning and spelling. I pronounce all spellings the name. The only thing that turns me off is the variety of spellings making them all mesh into a semi-trendy mess. For example, there's a girl at my dd's school and her name is spelled Myah. Nothing attractive about that, now is there? I've seen Miah too pronounced like Maya / Maia, but then again, it looks like Mia too. Confusing.

Overall, I think it's a beautiful name and I can understand its appeal.

- Billina

6/14/2013, 10:39 AM

I love Maya. If I were having a daughter, I would seriously consider the name, because I think it's beautiful in its simplicity. It ages well, it's easy to pronounce, and it would go well with our last name. :)

I don't prefer any one meaning, because meanings don't matter to me. The meaning of a name could be, "ugly cow who destroys souls and punches babies", but if I liked it enough, I'd use it. I pronounce both names the same, which is MY-ah.

- NikkiRook (guest)

6/14/2013, 10:22 AM

Maia is one of my favorites. Maya doesn't really appeal to me. The meanings don't matter to me either. That would not sway my decision. Maia feels classic and elegant. Maya feels a little more trendy to me for lack of a better word.

- mirfak

6/14/2013, 9:36 AM

Maia. It looks more goddessy and classical, and the pronunciation isn't ambiguous. Maya is the Native American culture which would seem weird for me as a name, and also the word for illusion has a negative, non-namey connotation for me. I would definitely say it MY-ah, though. MAY-a would seem eccentric to me.

I also like Maja. I met a German woman named that.

- me (guest) +1

6/14/2013, 9:32 AM

I like the "water" meaning more, but I prefer it spelled Maia. It's my daughter's middle name, so I suppose I'm a bit biased. But Maia doesn't necessarily mean "great", when I used it I meant it as one of the Pleiades.

- me (guest)

6/14/2013, 11:31 AM

Forgot to say that I pronounce it MY-ah.

- emeyes

6/14/2013, 9:31 AM

My cousin is called Maya and I like her name :)
However, her name is pronounced MAY-ah instead of MY-ah
:) I would personally choose Maya over Maia or Mya.

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