Maya is a female name in various languages with various meanings. In Sanskrit, for instance, Māyā means "illusion or magic", and is also an alternate name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. In the Tupi language, of southern Brazil, it means "mother", while Mayara means "grandmother". In the Māori language, the name means "courage" or "bravery", and is popular for Māori girls in New Zealand. The name may be a variant form of the Greek theonym Maia (Μαῖα in Ancient Greek), the eldest of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes in Greek and Roman mythology. Variously spelled Maia or Maja it can also be used as a short form of Maria or Mary in Germany, the Scandinavian countries, and various East European and Balkan countries. Maya is also used as a short form for the name Amalia or the Basque name Amaia or Amaya (meaning "the end") in Spanish-speaking countries. Popularity All variants of the name are well-used in the English-speaking world and other countries. Maya has ranked among the one thousand most popular names for girls in the United States since 1970 and among the top one hundred most popular names for American girls since 2002. Spelling variant Maia has ranked among the top one thousand names for American girls since 1996. Notable people named Maya Maya (High Priest of Amun), a High Priest of Amun until at least year four of Akhenaten Maya (Treasurer) (13th century BC), the treasurer to Pharaohs Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemheb of Egypt Maya Ackerman, Russian-American computer scientist Maya Angelou (1928–2014), African-American author and poet Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam (born 1975), better known as M.I.A., British singer/rapper Maya Bar-Hillel (born 1943), Israeli psychologist Maya Kalle-Bentzur (born 1958), Israeli Olympic runner and long jumper Maya Berović (born 1987), Bosnian pop star Maya Bouskilla (born 1977), Israeli singer Maya Days, American singer Maya Deren (1917–1961), American avant-garde filmmaker Maya Diab (born 1980), Lebanese singer Maya Dolas (1966-1991), Indian gangster Maya Erskine (born 1987), American actress Maya Gabeira (born 1987), Brazilian surfer Maya Hawke (born 1998), American actress Maya Higa (born 1998), a conservationist and Twitch streamer who streams under the name Maya Kazan (born 1986), American actress and director Maya Kulenovic (born 1975), Canadian artist Maya Lin (born 1959), American architect and sculptor, designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Maya Millete (born 1981), American woman who went missing in 2021 Maya Mishalska (born 1974), Mexican actress Maya