Why Maya?

ma·ya

noun /ˈmīə/  /ˈmäyə/

Maya is the name of my wife. That was a first and obvious reason. But what is more significant to general public is that “Maya” have many meanings, and they are all in relation with what we are trying to achieve.

The name Maya is a girl’s name of Hebrew, Spanish, Greek origin meaning “water”. In addition to being the name of a Central American culture, Maya was the legendary Greek mother of Hermes by Zeus, and means “illusion” in Sanskrit and Eastern Pantheism. To the Romans, Maia/Maya was the incarnation of the earth mother and goddess of spring, after whom they named the month of May.

My Maya

In Hebrew, the name Maya (מַיָּה/מאיה in Hebrew) is a short form of “ma’ayan,” meaning “spring” or “brook.” In Old Persian the name means “generous”. The unrelated name Maia, meaning “courage” or “bravery” in the Māori language, is popular for Māori girls in New Zealand.

Sometimes spelled Maja, it can also be used as a short form of Maria or Mary in Germany, Scandinavian countries, Poland, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Macedonia. 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.

The similar-sounding Japanese name Mayu means “truth, reason”, while some sources say Amaya (pronounced A-MAH-YAH) is a Japanese name meaning “night rain”. Another origin for the name Maya is the Tupi language spoken by Brazilian native Indians, meaning “Mother”, and Mayara, meaning “Grandmother”.

Maya means Magic in sinhala and Tamil (mayam and mayawa).

The supernatural power wielded by gods and demons to produce illusions.

The power by which the universe becomes manifest.

The illusion or appearance of the phenomenal world.

….yes, I know – lucky me, Maya is my wife. 🙂

Sources used: nameberry.com, wikipedia.org, answers.com