Meaning and background
The story behind Maya
Maya has several genuinely different histories. Sanskrit māyā relates to illusion or magic in South Asian traditions; an English name can be a form of Maia; Hebrew Maya has a separate derivation associated with water. The same spelling also recalls the Maya peoples of Mesoamerica, but that cultural reference is not identical to any given-name etymology. A dog owner may choose the sound, but a catalogue should not assign one universal translation.
- Origin
- Multiple distinct given-name origins: Sanskrit māyā (“illusion” or “magic”); English variant of Maia; and Hebrew Maya associated with mayim “water”. Source
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About Maya
Recorded as a dog’s name
Maya appears in 142 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/maɪə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/maɪə/ · primary stress on syllable 1M AY1 AH0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.