Mya is a primarily feminine given name of uncertain origins. One source considers it to be a 20th-century phonetic spelling of the name

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

Mia Mia, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to: Music Artists * M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer * M.I.A. (band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California * MIA., a German rock/pop band formed in 1997 * Mia (singer) (born 1983) ...

, names that have multiple, different meanings and origins in different languages. The American poet and civil rights activist

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

, born Marguerite, is said to have acquired her

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

as a child when her brother referred to her as "mya sister". Mya is also a Burmese name of a different origin, said by one source to mean ''

emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

'', in use for both sexes.

Usage

The name has been ranked among the top one thousand names for newborn girls in the United States since 1997 and was among the two hundred most used names for American girls between 1999 and 2018. It was the 270th most used name for American girls born in 2021.

Notable people

* Mya Aye ( my, မြအေး), born 1966, Burmese activist and one of the leaders of the 8888 generation of pro-democracy student activists in Burma (Myanmar) * Mya Aye ( my, မြအေး), (1942–2013), Burmese educator and Minister of Education from 2011 to 2013 * Mya Aye, Burmese professional golfer, born 1940 * Mya Azzopardi, born 2002, Maltese swimmer *

Mya Baker Mya Baker (aka Mya B.; born 1974) is an American filmmaker, poet, writer, director and researcher. She was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and has lived and taught early childhood education in Brooklyn, New York. Biography Baker was born a ...

, born 1974, also known as Mya B., American filmmaker, poet, writer, director and researcher *

Mya Bollaers Mya Bollaers () is a Belgian actress. Career She rose to prominence with her title role in the 2019 film ''Lola'' (''Lola vers la mer''), in which she played a 18-year-old transgender girl grieving the death of her mother. Her portrayal receiv ...

, Belgian actress * Mya Breitbart, American biologist and professor of biological oceanography at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science *

Mya Byrne Mya Adriene Byrne is an American singer-songwriter whose works falls mostly in the Americana vein, a combination of folk, blues and country music. Based in New York for 13 years, Byrne currently resides in San Francisco and performs solo or wi ...

, born 1978, American singer-songwriter *

Mya-Rose Craig Mya-Rose Craig (born 2002), also known as Birdgirl, is a British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, author, and campaigner for equal rights. In February 2020, she received an honorary doctorate in science (DSc hc) from the University of Bristol, and i ...

, born 2002, British-Bangladeshi ornithologist and campaigner for equal rights *

Mya Diamond Mya Diamond (born 11 April 1981) is a Hungarian pornographic actress and erotic model. In 2006 she won the Ninfa Award for best actress. Biography Diamond, born in Marcali, Hungary, has two younger siblings, a sister and a brother, with her sis ...

, born 1981, Hungarian pornographic actress and erotic model. *

Mya Harrison Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

, known by the stage name Mýa, American R & B singer, born 1979 *

Mya-Lecia Naylor Mya-Lecia Naylor (6 November 2002 – 7 April 2019) was an English actress, model and singer, known for her roles as Fran in the CBBC series’ ''Millie Inbetween'' and Mya in ''Almost Never''. Early and personal life Naylor was born on 6 Novemb ...

(2002–2019), English actress, model and singer *

Mya Rose Mya Rose Gill (stage name ''Mya Rose'', formerly ''Mya Rose Wilkins'') is an indie folk-alternative artist, born 4 September 1979. She has spent the last 13 years gigging around the world from huge stages to street corners, from Korea to Engla ...

, born 1979, American indie folk-alternative artist *

Mya Sein Daw Mya Sein ( my, ဒေါ်မြစိန်; 13 October 1904 – 10 November 1988) was a Burmese writer, educator and historian. She led the Burma Women's Council, served as a representative of Asia for the League of Nations in 1931, and ...

, ( my, ဒေါ်မြစိန်) (1904–1988), Burmese writer, educator and historian *

Mya Taylor Mya Taylor (born March 28, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Alexandra in the 2015 film ''Tangerine'' for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. Early life Mya Taylor was b ...

, born 1991, American actress and singer *

Mya Than Tint Mya Than Tint ( ; 23 May 1929 – 18 February 1998) was a five-time Myanmar National Literature Award winning Burmese writer and translator. Biography Born Mya Than on 23 May 1929 in Myaing, Pakokku Township, Magway Division, Myanmar, he was ...

( (1929–1998), five-time Myanmar National Literature Award winning Burmese writer and translator *

Mya Thwe Thwe Khine Mya Thwe Thwe Khine (; February 11, 2001 – February 19, 2021; variously romanised as Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing or Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing) was a young Burmese woman who became the first known casualty of the 2021 Myanmar protests, which formed in th ...

() (2001–2021), a young Burmese woman who became the first known casualty of the 2021 Myanmar protests, which formed in the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état *

Mya Thwin Daw Mya Thwin, known as Mother Sayamagyi ( my, မြသွင်, ; 12 March 1925 – 28 January 2017) was a Theravada Buddhist meditation teacher who has established centres for vipassana meditation around the world. She was a senior disciple ...

( my, မြသွင်) (1925–2017), Theravada Buddhist meditation teacher who has established centres for vipassana meditation around the world *

Mya Tun Oo General Mya Tun Oo ( my, မြထွန်းဦး; also spelt Mya Htun Oo) is a Burmese military officer and politician who serves as the incumbent Minister for Defence, appointed by the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, Min Aung Hlaing ...

( my, မြထွန်းဦး), born 1961, Myanmar's incumbent Minister for Defence

Notes

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