February 5, 2007
Celebrity Baby Name of the Day — “Maya Ray”
“Maya Ray”
Maya Ray, the name chosen by actress Uma Thurman (Kill Bill; The Producers) and actor Ethan Hawke (Training Day; Lord of War) for their daughter born in 1998 might seem to be derived from the Indian civilization known as the Mayans, but in fact it is simply a variant of the name “May,” which is derived from the Roman goddess Maia.
The goddess Maia, according to Roman mythology, was the daughter of Atlas and the mother of Mercury.
Then again, Maya was the name of a character played by Thurman in an Oscar-nominated short film made in 1996, called Duke of Groove. Thurman’s character takes her teenage son to a party, so he will not be home when his father prepares to leave his family.
The name Ray has no such glamorous affiliations. It’s usually a male name, and it’s short for Raymond.
photo by Photorazzi
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