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Maya
Maya is a name I loved a really long time ago. My favorite combo was Maya Egypt. Then I read a book and watched a movie about Mayans and thought of nothing but human sacrifice whenever I heard the name for a while (I know they had an interesting and beautiful culture but maybe because that certain aspect is so gruesome it really stuck with me). Now I've been able to get rid of that association a little bit and can appreciate Maya for its lovely sound and beautiful meanings in many different cultures and languages.What do you think of Maya? Is it too common? Would you spell it Maya or Maia?
Do you prefer Maya, Kaya or Gaia (GAH-ya or GUY-a)? You can change spellings.
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Maya is a really pretty name. I would spell it Maia though. It looks better in my opinion. I also prefer Maia to Kaya and Gaia.
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As a 30-something year old named Maya it's funny to hear it referred to as 'too common'. I may be a little weird but I'm far from being gruesome. I've always kinda like that I shared a name with the Maya people. It lead me to learn a lot about them. Of course I LOVE the name and the speeding with a y. BTW- I was named after an alien from Space 1999 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072564/ check out the 5th cast member down)
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Oh. BTW I say my name My-ah and even though I spent my childhood correcting people (which I got use to) I hardly ever have to correct people now a days.
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I love Maya, but only with this spelling. It is traditionally spelled Maja here in Sweden, but it's very eyr popular and oh so boring. Maya is a whole different name to me. I like Kaya / Kaia as well, but it sounds more trendy.
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Maja is the most common way to spell it in Germany as well. I don't care much for it, but I like Maya. It just looks more balanced.
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Maya / Maia (but at the moment my preference is for Maya) has really been growing on me lately. I think it sounds just beautiful.I have run into two girls named Maya / Maia recently, one in a class at uni and the other a little girl in the shop I work at. The lecturer read the first Maya off the sheet and pronounced it MAY-uh, and the girl had to correct her. And for the second little Maya / Maia, when her mum said her name at the end of a sentence it was worded in such a way that for a second I thought she had been talking about Myer, a big Australian department store. So it's not the easiest name to have.I don't like Kaya or Gaia, only Maya / Maia.
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!!! Egypt is so awesome!! I think it would be an amazing middle name! But I am pretty obsessed with Ancient Egypt. I can't say I'm a fan of Maya but I don't hate it or anything. Gaia is too much of a religious deity for me to use. I'd choose Kaya but maybe with the spelling of Kaiya (Kaya looks like KAY-ya whereas Kaiya looks more KIE-ah to me, though I don't really like the look of "Kaiy" together).
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Me too! I watch documentaries about it all of the time. You're right that Kaya could get mispronounced. Maybe I should consider Kaia instead.
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Me, too! I had to stop watching the History Channel years ago when they were giving blatantly wrong information about Egypt. How dare they mess with them! Ugh, History Channel. Kaia > Kaiya---It looks a lot cleaner. Kaia > Kaiya > Kaya
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Well I don't know if it would make a difference to you, but I know in Aztec culture, human sacrifice was mostly a religious practice and not seen as gruesome. It's not like they did it to be evil, it was a way of honouring the gods. Not sure about the Mayans but maybe it's the same thing? The name Maya makes me think about the beautiful Mayan Riviera. It's kind of a "whatever" name to me. I don't dislike it, but I can't say I really like it either. I prefer it to Kaya and Gaia...sounds too much like the word "guy". Maya is my preferred spelling.
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I think it was the same in Mayan culture. It's just that I watched a movie and have a hard time getting the images out of my head.
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The only Maya I've known is a Maia I went to college with, and that was the first time I'd heard the name before too. I thought it was really pretty, and I still do. I don't like the way Maya looks though, it seems less elegant. I prefer Maia to Kaya and Gaia too.
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I prefer Maya spelt Maia but I'm slightly worried about pronunciation. I have spent my life prouncing Maya and Maia as MAY-ah but a while back I was informed this was wrong and it is MY-ah - which is right, and how do you pronounce it?
I don't pronounce Gaia either of those ways, I would instantly say GAY-ah even if it is wrong which is why I have always been put off the name (the gay part is just asking to be teased).
I've never met a Maya so I wouldn't consider it popular. I slightly prefer just May on it own, especially as a first name as I think it would be a nice surprise since it is so overused in the middle name spot. :)
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I think they are usually pronounce MY-ah. I kind of like MAY-a as well, though.
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That's why I like Maia--all the beauty, no Mayans. ;) Maia has great associations: maturity, motherhood, midwifery, and the astrological connection of the Pleiades from the Greeks, and growth and springtime from the Romans. I don't think Maya is too common, but must be the most common of the three. I know a couple, as well as a Mya and a Mayah. I saw a BA for a Myah not long ago, too. I like Maia, Kaia, and Gaia (GUY-a) more-or-less equally. I'd be more likely to use Maia or Kaia, though, particularly as a first name. I think today I'd go with Maia; I'm feeling more drawn to the softness of the M than the sharpness of the K.
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For me, Gaia has religious aspects, so it isn't something I necessarily like as a name. Kaya feels a bit insubstantial, but Maya is very lovely. It is springy, but with punch. I don't think it is my style, but I would love to meet a little Maya. (In my mind it is said like My-ah).Edit: I do wonder if spelled as Maya, people might pronounce it May-ah/May-uh. In that case, Maia is a nice spelling.

This message was edited 3/6/2013, 7:44 AM

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My daughters' name is Maya and we pronounce it May-a, simply because we liked it that way better and didn't like any other spelling. People do call her My-a sometimes if they don't know her or read her name. Once corrected they usually remember. I think it's a pretty name, regardless of whether or not others like it that way!
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