Fun Facts About the Name Mya
- A favorite of earlier generations: Mya appeared in the U.S. top 100 in 2 separate runs, totaling 2 years. Its last run lasted 1 consecutive years, from 2009 through 2009.
- More than 62 thousand babies named Mya: U.S. records list 62,351 babies given the name Mya from 1880 through 2025. Even 59 boys received the name Mya - about 1 boy for every 1,056 girls.
What Does the Name Mya Mean?
Mya is an English spelling of two different names, Maya and Mia, and its meaning depends on which of them it is taken from; the spelling itself has no separate etymology.
Behind Maya lie two unrelated names that happen to look alike. The Sanskrit māyā means "illusion," "magic," or "creative power." The Greek Maia, the mother of Hermes, is commonly explained as coming from maia, a word for "mother" or "nurse." In German, Dutch, and Scandinavian use, Maya and Maja are instead pet forms of Maria, so in that setting the name carries Maria's meaning rather than either of the older ones.
Behind Mia is Maria, from the Hebrew Miryam, a name whose meaning is uncertain; Mia also serves as a short form of names such as Amalia and Emilia. A single literal meaning for Mya therefore cannot be given with confidence, and any one meaning assigned to it reflects a choice among its parent names.
Mya Name History & Origins
Names spelled Mya in English usually lead back to either Maya or Mia, and those two names have separate backgrounds. The oldest strand behind Maya is the Sanskrit māyā, a word used in the Vedas for a power to create or work wonders, which in later Hindu philosophy, especially Vedanta, came to mean "illusion," the appearance that masks reality. Sanskrit tradition also includes figures such as Maya, the asura architect who appears in the Mahabharata and as the father of Mandodari in the Ramayana, and Queen Māyā, the mother of the Buddha, whose name passed into East Asian Buddhist usage; the Japanese name and mountain Maya are written with a character borrowed from her.
The similar-looking Greek name Maia is not related to the Sanskrit word. Maia is one of the Pleiades in Greek myth and the mother of Hermes by Zeus, and Greek speakers also used maia as a respectful term for a mother or nurse; the name is traditionally explained from that word, though the word's own origin is uncertain. Roman writers linked Maia to the month of May and sometimes identified her with Bona Dea and the earth, explanations that belong to Roman antiquarian tradition rather than to Greek myth. The same spelling also arose independently in Europe as a pet form of Maria: in German, Dutch, and Scandinavian use, Maja and Maya are familiar forms of Maria, and Russian Maya is usually a form of Maria as well. The identical spelling therefore has separate roots in Sanskrit, in Greek, and in Christian Europe.
Mia, the other name behind Mya, is a short form of Maria used in German-, Dutch-, and Scandinavian-speaking countries, and it is also a pet form of names such as Amalia and Emilia. Maria goes back through Greek to the Hebrew Miryam, a name of uncertain meaning. In English-speaking countries the spelling Mya sits alongside several vowel variants of these names, among them Maya, Maia, Maja, Mia, and Myah, and it is not tied to any single one of them.
How Popular is the Name Mya?
Mya recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2009. Mya ranked among the top 100 U.S. names from 2005 through 2005, then returned in 2009 and remained through 2009.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #444 | 697 | 0.0434% |
| 2024 | #366 | 853 | 0.0529% |
| 2023 | #341 | 913 | 0.0570% |
| 2022 | #302 | 1,060 | 0.0647% |
| 2021 | #271 | 1,157 | 0.0706% |
| 2020 | #243 | 1,241 | 0.0768% |
| 2019 | #220 | 1,402 | 0.0836% |
| 2018 | #194 | 1,563 | 0.0919% |
| 2017 | #173 | 1,750 | 0.1014% |
| 2016 | #167 | 1,920 | 0.1084% |
| 2015 | #146 | 2,208 | 0.1237% |
| 2014 | #138 | 2,409 | 0.1349% |
| 2013 | #116 | 2,705 | 0.1542% |
| 2012 | #124 | 2,552 | 0.1449% |
| 2011 | #105 | 2,863 | 0.1628% |
| 2010 | #101 | 2,999 | 0.1687% |
| 2009 | #97 | 3,415 | 0.1859% |
| 2008 | #103 | 3,339 | 0.1766% |
| 2007 | #102 | 3,325 | 0.1730% |
| 2006 | #102 | 3,356 | 0.1765% |
| 2005 | #98 | 3,208 | 0.1736% |
| 2004 | #116 | 2,896 | 0.1577% |
| 2003 | #116 | 2,952 | 0.1616% |
| 2002 | #145 | 2,281 | 0.1269% |
| 2001 | #149 | 2,189 | 0.1216% |
| 2000 | #175 | 1,839 | 0.1013% |
| 1999 | #166 | 1,885 | 0.1063% |
| 1998 | #238 | 1,284 | 0.0727% |
| 1997 | #995 | 196 | 0.0113% |
| 1996 | #1,192 | 152 | 0.0087% |
| 1995 | #1,271 | 133 | 0.0076% |
| 1994 | #1,520 | 103 | 0.0058% |
| 1993 | #1,278 | 134 | 0.0074% |
| 1992 | #1,656 | 92 | 0.0050% |
| 1991 | #1,582 | 97 | 0.0052% |
| 1990 | #1,654 | 90 | 0.0047% |
| 1989 | #2,238 | 54 | 0.0029% |
| 1988 | #2,067 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 1987 | #2,220 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 1986 | #2,254 | 46 | 0.0027% |
| 1985 | #2,198 | 48 | 0.0028% |
| 1984 | #2,283 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 1983 | #1,849 | 57 | 0.0034% |
| 1982 | #2,070 | 50 | 0.0030% |
| 1981 | #1,878 | 58 | 0.0035% |
| 1980 | #1,452 | 84 | 0.0051% |
| 1979 | #1,702 | 65 | 0.0040% |
| 1978 | #1,392 | 84 | 0.0055% |
| 1977 | #1,916 | 52 | 0.0034% |
| 1976 | #2,911 | 26 | 0.0018% |
| 1975 | #2,346 | 35 | 0.0024% |
| 1974 | #2,811 | 26 | 0.0018% |
| 1973 | #3,198 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1972 | #3,139 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1971 | #3,034 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1970 | #2,834 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1969 | #4,939 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #3,267 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1967 | #2,837 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1966 | #3,008 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1965 | #3,675 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1964 | #5,835 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #5,157 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #5,536 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #6,729 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1954 | #6,356 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #11,719 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #11,818 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #11,739 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #10,533 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #13,395 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2004 | #6,396 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #12,151 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #9,092 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,604 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore Name Lists Featuring Mya
Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.
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How the Name Mya Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Mya's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Mya's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.