UK girl's name
Maaya
An Indian feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "illusion" or "dream".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Maaya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Maaya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 9 births.
This profile covers 69 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 2001 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 33% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 69 living people in the UK are called Maaya. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Maaya ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2022, when 9 girls were registered as Maaya.
- • About 69 living people in the UK are estimated to have Maaya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5891
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2022
9 births
Estimated living
69
2026
Meaning
What does Maaya mean?
The name Maaya has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that has been spoken on the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years. In Sanskrit, the word "maya" means "illusion" or "magic," and is derived from the root word "ma," which means "to measure" or "to construct."
The name Maaya is closely associated with Hindu mythology, where it is believed to be a concept related to the illusory nature of the physical world. According to Hindu philosophy, maya is the veil of illusion that separates the individual from the ultimate reality or brahman. The concept of maya is explored in depth in various Hindu scriptures, including the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Puranas.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Maaya can be found in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where it is mentioned as the name of a demoness who was the mother of the demon king Ravana. In the epic, Maaya is described as a powerful sorceress who possessed the ability to create illusions and shape-shift.
Throughout history, the name Maaya has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Maaya, a renowned Sanskrit grammarian who lived in the 6th century CE and is credited with writing the Mayasara, a treatise on Sanskrit grammar.
Another famous bearer of the name was Maaya Devi, a 16th-century Rajput queen who ruled the kingdom of Marwar (now part of Rajasthan, India) and was known for her courage and leadership during times of conflict.
In the realm of literature, Maaya Angelou (1928-2014) was an influential American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist who is best known for her autobiographical work "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
In the field of science, Maaya Prabhu (born 1975) is an Indian-American computer scientist and entrepreneur who co-founded the open-source software company Couchbase.
Lastly, Maaya Sakamoto (born 1980) is a Japanese voice actress and singer who has lent her voice to numerous anime and video game characters, and has also released several successful music albums.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Maaya over time
The chart below shows babies named Maaya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2001 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Maaya, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 9 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maaya by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Maaya was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4715 | 15 | 3 |
| 2010s | #4251 | 35 | 7 |
| 2000s | #3752 | 19 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Maaya
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Maaya: questions and answers
How popular is the name Maaya in the UK right now?
In 2024, Maaya was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Maaya most popular?
The peak year on record was 2022, with 9 babies registered as Maaya in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Maaya?
An Indian feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "illusion" or "dream".
How many people are called Maaya in the UK?
A total of 69 babies have been registered as Maaya across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.