Maya
Maya was the number 15 most popular girls' name in England and Wales in 2024, given to 1,592 babies that year, according to the Office for National Statistics. It moved up 14 places from rank 29 in 2023. As general background, Maya is usually said to be of multiple traditions origin, meaning water or illusion in Sanskrit and a form of Maia in Greek. The popularity figures are the real ONS count and rank; the meaning is widely attested etymology, not a claim about any individual.
Maya in the ONS data
| ONS rank (2024, England and Wales) | 15 of the girls' names |
| Babies given this name (2024) | 1,592 |
| Registered as a | girl's name |
| Change since 2023 | up 14 places from rank 29 in 2023 |
Source: ONS Baby names in England and Wales, 2024 edition, released 2025-07-31. Accessed 2026-06-14. The rank and count are the real ONS figures for England and Wales. Refreshed each year on the ONS release.
What Maya means
Maya is usually described as a name of multiple traditions origin, meaning water or illusion in Sanskrit and a form of Maia in Greek. This is general etymological background drawn from established naming reference works. It describes the name's history and is not a claim about any individual who carries it.
Meanings and origins are general background, not ONS data and not advice.
Maya also appears in these lists
Maya is one of the ONS 2024 top 50 names and one of our picks for these baby name themes.
Names like Maya
Other names from the ONS 2024 rankings that share a theme with Maya.
Nearby in the girls' ranking
- 14. Mia
- 15. Maya
- 16. Bonnie
Editor, BabyData
Oliver Mackman is the named editor of BabyData and a director of Best Business Loans Ltd (Companies House 16833937), the company that operates the site. He is accountable for its editorial standards, sourcing and corrections, and requires every number to cite the underlying rule and the official UK dataset behind it, with pregnancy tools reviewed against NHS and gov.uk guidance before publication.
Last reviewed: 12 June 2026