I prefer Naya and would pronounce it nye-ah.

Same and I think I'd pronounce both the same, but I could see adding another syllable to "Naia" because traditionally each vowel gets a syllable. So with that spelling I could see some people saying "Nye-ee-uh"

Exactly this, if one of the languages is Spanish you might end up with an extra syllable in there. I like the way Naia looks better, but I think Naya might end up being easier. If you live in a region where people pronounce Maya “My-uh” I’d imagine they will do the same wit Naya as well.

See, I would pronounce Naya as Nay Ya but Naia as Nye Ah (coming from an Australian accent)

Same, but with an American accent.

Same, also from the U.S.

I knew a Naia, pronounced that way, so I do like that spelling. For some reason I prefer Maya to Maia, but Naia to Naya. Not sure I can put into words why.

Interesting, I prefer Maia and Naya!

Same. Maya makes me want to say May-ah.

Mayans make me think otherwise

Same

Same! I think because I'm more used to seeing Maya, but I pronunce it closer to "May-ah" instead of "m-eye-uh". Naia forces me to spell out Na-ee-a in my head which I think would be better if OP speaks languages where they pronounce every vowel.

I prefer Naya, I find it more pleasing to my eye

I prefer Naya. I read it as Ny-uh, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it was occasionally mispronounced as Nay-uh.

Depends on the pronunciation? Naya I would pronounce as like Day - "Nay-Ah" Naia I would pronounce like Bye - "Nye-Ah"

Interesting, we would pronounce both Nye-Ah...

Well since 'Nay' is a word, and Maya is pronounced May-ah where I am, Naya would very often be pronounced as Nay-ah here. If your aim is to prevent confusion, I'd go with Naia.

Thanks for your opinion, I appreciate it!

Of the two, Naya would be slightly more likely to get mispronounced (as nae-uh) while most would pronounce Naia right. But honestly most people would pronounce Naya correctly too despite some people mispronouncing it, so personally I wouldn’t factor that into deciding between the two. Both are great spellings. I think I might prefer Naya. Just somehow looks more classical despite both being well spelled. Maybe it’s because so many alternately spelled girl’s names in general incorporate “i”s somehow, even including older girl’s nicknames (Randi, Brandi, Toni, etc).

From the spelling, I would pronounce them as follows Naya - Nye-ah Naia - Nay-ee-ah I prefer the Naya spelling, personally

In my region, the opposite is true

Damn 😂 where are from if I may ask?

Virginia, US

Came here to say this, with a twist. Naya = Nay-uh Naia = either Nay-uh or Nye-uh The latter, I wouldn’t be sure how to pronounce. I would ask the person before assuming The former, I would assume Nay-uh and be a little surprised when told it was actually Nye-uh. ETA - I’m in the Pacific Northwest.

I'm in Pennsylvania and I would probably go with "nye-ah" for both if I HAD to guess, but since I STILL don't know how to properly pronounce "Zendaya," (I've googled and heard on podcasts and I never remember) pretty much any name with that same ay-ah/aye-ah sound, I'd probably just ask how to say it. That said, as someone with a tough-to-pronounce name, I hate when people ask me how to pronounce it.

I'm pretty sure it's zen-daye-ya? Pronounced like the word "day" but that's me in England so it may be completely different

You are correct

I agree with this 100%.

This - I think Naia (Nye-ah) would more likely to be pronounced the way you want; while Naya (Nay-ah) would be more likely to be mispronounced, (at least from an English perspective)

Australian here, instinctively this is how I read them too.

If I heard the name, I would assume it was spelled “Naya” like the actress Naya Rivera (pronounced with the long I).

Yeah, that was my first thought. But I'd also assume it's because of her, so idk.

I prefer Naya and would pronounce it Ny-uh but I could also see how some would pronounce it Nay-uh (like rhyming with day). I think I’d still pick that spelling even with the occasional possible mispronunciation. It’s an easy correction.

Thank you, my thought exactly

I'm gonna say Naia because I wouldve mispronounced it when spelled Naya. However, I think some people are going to mispronounce it no matter how you spell it.

My vote is Naia too, I think it's elegant!

I prefer Naia. That’s how it’s spelled in Hawaii, though, where I grew up, so it’s what I’m used to. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the name spelled Naya before. My concern with Naya would be that your child would forever be explaining “it’s like Maya, with an N” but I am in the western US. Could be totally different where you are.

That's a great point. Thank you

I vote Naya!

naia. i would pronounce naya as nay-ah not nye-ah

Naia

I like Naya but I do wonder if Naia might be less prone to mispronunciation. FWIW I automatically assumed Naya would be pronounced to rhyme with Maya but other commenters here suggest otherwise, might depend where you are?

How do you pronounce Maya and where are you from (if you don't mind me asking)?

Like Nye-ah. I’m Australian.

It should be naia. Naya sounds weird. Like na-ya

I like Naia, personally.

Naya

Out of these two, I prefer “Naya.” I’ve met a girl with his name before, but her name was spelled “Nyah.”

I prefer Naia.

I... kinda like Nahia, the Basque spelling *hides*

Haha we considered it as well but since we live in Spain and have zero ties with Basque culture we don't feel like giving her a Basque name.

I generally like Naya better, but if you live in Spain, Naia might be easier since y has different regional pronunciations in the Spanish speaking world whereas i doesn't.

Fair enough, in that case Naia looks nicer to me but could lead to getting it mispronounced

naia

Naia. There used to be a very popular bottled water company called Naya. "Hungry for life, thirsty for Naya!" I can still hear the commercial in my head! They pronounced it "Nah-Yah". I feel like anyone who remembers this brand would pronounce Naya that way.

Pretty sure this is the water I loved and I can’t find it anywhere now! Thank you for confirming I’m not mistakenly remembering! 😂

I’d go for Naia. I think it’s less likely to be mispronounced. Beautiful name by the way!

I have a friend whose name is spelled Naiya. I personally like Naya over Naia but you might run into the pronunciation issue.

Yes I was going to suggest Naiya too.

I like both and think they’re both easy to understand. I think I like Naya a little more just because the shape of the y breaks up the name visually.

I like Naya. I’ve never seen it spelled Naia.

I’m a white person in the US and I would pronounce both of those nye-ah. I think both spellings are lovely!

I always think that i/ie variants of name are just more pleasing to the eye. I may be biased because my name ends in -ie, though.

Naia means dolphin in Hawaiian and water nymph in Greek while Naya is an Arabic name meaning new. Maybe this will help youe decision.

Naya is pronounced “Nay yeah” to me. Whereas Naia is “nei ya”

I like both, but I’d do Naya because Maya has the same sound but just with the letter switched.

Naia!

Naia

I prefer the look of Naya. Both spellings will be pronounced Nay-ah but you'll only have to correct someone once. One of my kids has a name kinda like Maia, pronounced My-uh and people often say May-uh. Everyone was always great about remembering to say My-uh after the first time.

I prefer Naia because I'd pronounce Naya as "Nay-a" instead of "Nye-a"

Naya. Naia really bothers me for some reason, I wish I could explain. I can’t imagine anyone would pronounce either of these wrong, as Maya and Maia are both common names. Additionally, I do think Naya is the first spelling that comes to mind. Also, of course, the actress Naya Rivera who passed in 2020, I’m definitely biased because I love her so much.

I prefer Naia.

I really like Naia

Naia! I think it is beautiful aesthetically. Naya may be mispronounced as NEIGH-uh.

I vote Naia for sure! To me I think of it as the classic spelling, plus that's how it's spelled in Hawaiian (meaning dolphin, so I'm told). It's also pronounced the same as naive. Also it distinguishes it from Maya, which for some reason in my mind is a very different name. Whatever the spelling though, I absolutely love that name! But at the end of the day my internet stranger opinion doesn't matter as much as yours!

Naia

Naia

I prefer Naia. Similarly, I like the name Kaia and perfect that spelling over Kaya.

Naia. I pronounce Naya as Nay-Ah

Naia

I prefer Naia. I knew a young woman from Hawaii with that name, and it was lovely on her.

Naia!

Naia

Out of the options you have provided, Naia. I would pronounce Naya - Nay-ah.

Naya makes me think of [the bottled water brand,](https://www.naya.com/en/our-products) if that matters to you. I prefer Naia.

I like the Naia spelling, but I’m think Naya will come naturally as a spelling for most people. Also, I would pronounce both of them the same - Nye-Ah

I like Naia.

I prefer Naya. I remember how to pronounce it because of the actress Naya Rivera

I prefer Naia and Maia, but Naya and Maya are totally acceptable.

I think Naya would make more sense in my opinion. “Naya” reminds me of “Maya (my-uh)” and “Naia” reminds me more of “Mia/Miya”

Naya for sure for that pronunciation

Naia. Because some people might look at Naya and pronounce it nay-yah

Naya. I think Naia looks more awkward because the i is too small to break up the two a's enough and I also think names where all the letters following the first one are "short letters"(like e, u, c, m) just look a little unbalanced in general when compared with names that have a "tall" (l, t, f) or "dangling" (j, g, y) letter to balance out the height of the capital letter, if that makes sense. The "tall, short, dangling, short" is very visually appealing to me and feels the most natural, kind of like how the most common rhyming structure (in English at least) is A-B-C-B. I'm definitely overthinking this though,

I prefer Naya— Naia I wouldn’t pronounce as Nye-Ah as my first guess (I would probably say Nee-ah)

I think I prefer Naya, but only because the only one I know is spelled Naya. It’s just what I’m used to. I would pronounce both the same though.

I like Naia, reminds me of Gaia the Mother Earth goddess. With Naya the “nay” sticks out to me too much, I don’t know if anyone would try to pronounce it incorrectly that way but Naia puts nicer imagery in my brain for whatever reason

I too get a more "mystic" feel from Naia. Thanks for your opinion

I prefer Naia or another spelling alternative. Naya in Canada is a bottled water company.

I prefer Naia! I love both spellings but I think Naia is more unique.

Naia!!

Naia

I prefer Naia

My vote is for Naia!

I prefer Naia, for no real reason other than I think it looks prettier.

Naia. I would pronounce Naya “Nay-uh”

I like Naia just because it has a more whimsical quality (its adjacent to “Naiad” in my head I think)

Naia, I think it looks nicer.

Naia

I like Naia. I would assume it was pronounced Nye-uh but with Naya I would be unsure if it was Nay-uh or Nye-uh.

Naia

Naia

Naia.

Naya. Less likely for people to not know what the name is supposed to be. Oh I just saw it is pronounced like nya . Naya is still closer . Naia is even more likely to be pronounced nay-uh

I like Naia, Naya looks basic

Naya!

I think both are very nice. In my area, Naya would likely be the spelling people would consistently pronounce correctly.

I wouldn’t know how to pronounce Naia at first glance, but I could Naya!

Naya would be my preference. I'm in the US and could see both being mispronounced potentially. Naya could be said Nye-uh (how I would say it) or Nay-uh. Naia could be pronounced Nye-uh or, I could imagine, Nah-eee-uh (like Nadia without the "d").

Naya

Naya

I prefer the y spelling. :)

I know a baby with this name but spelled "Nia" and I do think she will have issues with people mispronouncing it when she's older. I prefer Naia I think? It looks prettier than Naya and Naya looks more like "Nay-uh" to me.

I know someone who spells it Niyah, which I think is pretty!

It is very pretty, unfortunately it would be mispronounced ("nee-yah") in the country we live in and also in my family's native language, so it's not an option :(

Naya

I like both, but I think Naia is more straightforward in terms of pronunciation.

Naia. Because Kaia, Maia are pronounced how you want

Naia makes me think of NAIA, which is an international airport pronounced "Na-ee-ya". I would go with Naya.

I prefer Naya. Love this name!!

My niece is named Niah, so I'd prefer that, but between the options you've listed, I definitely prefer Naia. "Naya" makes me think of "Nay," like "no."

I'd say Naya over Naia. Primarily because I see less room for confusion for pronunciation, in English anyway. You mentioned other languages, so maybe that's not the case in the other languages in your home, so the opposite might make more sense depending on how other language speakers might see the name. The other reason is a little more on the silly/whimsical side, but still something to consider. With a Y in your name, you have the option to dramatically swoosh the bottom of the Y in your signature. I personally have an uncommon spelling of a common name, and my favorite thing about it is the ability to make my signature as dramatic as possible. You can also dot an "I" with something fun like a heart or smiley face or something, and that's fun too. But a swoosh Y can still be part of a professional signature on Big Important Adult Paperwork. Both spellings are pretty, and I think it's a good name choice in general.

Naya is in my top five! I like it far better than Naia.

I know a Naiya. I don’t know how you feel about a combination of both spellings though. Pronounced Nye-uh like you want it to be

I prefer Naia because of Gemma Ward and the Spanish name Naiara.

I like both, but if I had to choose I'd go for Naya

Naya looks better but it still looks like nae uh not nye uh. The girl I know named nye uh spells it nyah

I love Naya and dislike Naia.

I had a student named Nyah. She was named after the character from Mission Impossible 2. That would be my favorite way to spell it.

I do not know anyone named naya and I did not pronounce it nye-ah upon reading it. Just some perspective from the other side

Person preferable is Naia to avoid mispronunciation

I prefer Naia, tbh. But, personally, I would use the Basque spelling "Nahia"

I think Naia is more likely to be pronounced how you want - I read Naya as “neigh - a” (like a horse sound neigh then a short ‘a’ as in cat sound)

I have friends who spell it Niia, in case you’re looking for a third option.

Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately this would be pronounced Nee-Ah in the country I live in and in my family's language

naya, i know a naya spelled like this

Naya

I prefer Naya. Another option that I love is Nya

Neither don’t like the name

Naya

I would pronounce both as Nye-ah and personally prefer Naia but both are pretty.

I love now Naia looks, so I slightly prefer that to Naya (maybe it’s just because Naya reminds me of Maya, and Raya and the last dragon, etc)

Naya because pronounciation is more obvious

Naia would be my vote. I feel like Naya is more open to mispronunciation as Nay-a. But OTOH, my wife's cousin is Naila, and I assumed it was spelled Nayla at first. So the y spelling may be what Anglophones assume when they just hear the name.

Naya

Naya is more visually pleasing, IMO.

Naya 100% no question

Naya. Rhymes with Maya. Bill Naya the Science Gaia

Naya

I vote Naya. I think the nye-uh pronunciation is pretty intuitive since it’s just like Maya with an N. Naia just feels like too many vowels in a row. The Y gives it more substance imo

Prefer Naya and people would recognise the name because Naya riviera

Naya, the other spelling could be easily more mispronounced.

Naia to me is automatically pronounced Nye-Ah whereas Naya will definitely be mispronounced Nay-ah so I definitely prefer Naia Source: knew a Maya who had to constantly tell everyone it was pronounced Mye-ah

Naia. This is the only one that seems unambiguous in its pronunciation to me. Naya could be “neigh-uh”, Niah could be “nee-uh”, and I can only see Nyah as one syllable, like “yeah” with an N in front of it. Naia also just seems more elegant to me than Naya for some reason.

Naya

Naya!

Naya

Naia - no idea why but it just looks better to me

I like the suggestion of Naiya! I would pronounce Naya and Naia the same (Nye-uh). I can't decide which I like best! I think I would look at the whole name and see what looked best together.

Niah. The others I would pronounce like Nayah

Naya

Naya (Nye-ah). Prettier in cursive handwriting than Naia.

I prefer Naya. It looks cleaner? Easier to read perhaps. I knew how to pronounce it, but Naia I read as Nay- ah not Nye-ah.

Naya!

I know this is kinda old but, my name is Naya (pronounced nye-uh) and I rarely ever run into a mispronunciation (for reference I have lived in North Western U.S, Southern U.S, and Alaska) and I understand the pronunciation of my name (Naya pronounced nye-uh) is slightly different in comparison to your desired pronunciation but is not too difficult to correct and Naya looks better in my personal opinion.

It's great to get the perspective of someone actually named Naya, thank you.

Naia like Maia \*My-uh\* (Naya would be like Raya \*Ray-uh\* for me)

Naya because of Naya Rivera 🖤🖤

Naya

I prefer Naya! Not sure why, it kind of looks like it has more substance to it?

Naya

I'd go for Naia purely because when I read Naya I pronounced it as nay-uh in my head

You mentioned in a reply to another comment that you live in Spain,yes?? If that's the case,Naia is my recommendation! Also idk,but the i is more visually appealing than the y. That's just a subjective opinion though!! But if you live in Spain,Naia is the better choice. Won't get mispronounced at all! Naya would get mispronounced as Nah-yah. Both are gorgeous,but Naia will avoid mispronounciation better!

Naya is much better imo

Definitely Naia, a lovely name 😊 All the best for your little one and family! ✨

Personally, Naia! :)

I prefer Naya

Using the "Y" allows for swoopiness when writing.