Moya as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Moya

What is the meaning of the name Moya ?

The baby name Moya is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced {'common_english': 'MOY-ə', 'ipa': '/ˈmɔɪə/'}.

Moya is Irish, Portuguese, Spanish in Origin.

Moya is a feminine given name most common in Ireland and Scotland, a variant of Moira and an anglicized rendering of the Irish Gaelic Máire, the equivalent of Mary. As with Mary, its ultimate root is the Hebrew Miryam; scholars propose meanings such as "beloved," "wished-for child," or "sea of bitterness," but the etymology is debated. Moya also appears as a Spanish surname and place-name (Moya/Moyà), a separate, unrelated origin.

Use as a given name rose in the late 19th and 20th centuries within the Irish and wider Commonwealth diaspora, then declined but remains recognizable. Notable bearers include singer Moya Brennan, business leader Moya Greene, artist Moya Dyring, and actress Moya O’Sullivan. Close variants are Moira and Moyra; related forms in the same family include Máire, Mary, Maria, and Maureen, with Molly and Mollie as familiar diminutives.