Which would you use and why? Are they full names or dimunitives? How do you pronounce each of them? Which pronunciation do you prefer?
I've always liked
Maya more, but now it seems boring and I feel that it will date more easily. The MAY-ə pronunciation seems more predominant yet I cannot stand the trendy "ay" sound as it seems to lack any real substance and is used in so many common names. I would use this name if I knew, 100%, that I could avoid this pronunciation.
Maia seems like it would be more likely to use my preferred MIE-ə pronunciation. It less popular, but for some reason it seems more cutesy than
Maya.
I like
Maja and thinks its pronunciation is the most defined...at least among its own cultures. I live in Canada, where I feel that the j might get pronounced and cause frustration for someone with this name. Also, I'm not sure how much it is its own name as opposed to a nickname. Would it be the equivalent of naming a daughter
Katie, or would it be more similar to a full-name-nickname such as
Sandra?
So what do you think?