Sonia
Sonia was the 1307th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 171 babies. Its best year was 1976, when it ranked 165th; the most babies were born in 1970 (1,767). Over the last ten years it has moved down 234 places. More babies were named Sonia in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Sophia; "wisdom" · Russian, Greek
Say it SOHN-yuh /ˈsoʊnjə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,307 girls, down 180 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 171girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19701,767 babies
- Total since 1880
- 67,026babies recorded
What does the name Sonia mean?
Sonia comes from the Russian Sonya, an informal pet form of Sofiya (Sophia), from the Greek sophia, "wisdom". Wikipedia credits its spread in English to Russian novels in translation: Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Tolstoy's War and Peace both have heroines called Sonya. Sonia is the usual British spelling and Sonya the more common American one.
Со́ня (Russian, “Sonya, pet form of Sofiya”)σοφία (Ancient Greek, “wisdom”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Sonya, Sonja, Sophia, Sofia.
See also: Greek names, names that mean wisdom.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Sonia', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Sophia', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Sonia (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Sonia popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 279 since 1956.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,307 | 171 |
| 2020 | #1,127 | 214 |
| 2010 | #721 | 392 |
| 2000 | #507 | 532 |
| 1990 | #314 | 868 |
| 1980 | #209 | 1,252 |
| 1970 | #186 | 1,767 |
| 1960 | #303 | 951 |
| 1950 | #442 | 333 |
| 1940 | #388 | 299 |
| 1930 | #527 | 166 |
| 1920 | #833 | 76 |
| 1910 | #993 | 20 |
| 1900 | #1,546 | 8 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Sonia, counting every spelling?
Sonia has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,237 for girls in 2025, against #1,307 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Sonia?
171 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sonia (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Sonia born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 49 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sonia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sonia?
About 57,600 people born in the US named Sonia are alive today, with a median age of 49; half are between 35 and 59. That makes Sonia mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Sonia by state
How common Sonia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Washington (2.0×), California (1.7×), Illinois (1.7×). In 29 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Sonia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sonia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Sonia · Sibling names for Sonia
Questions about the name Sonia
What does Sonia mean?
Sonia means “pet form of Sophia; "wisdom"” (Russian, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Sonia?
Sonia was the 1307th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 171 babies. Its best year was 1976, when it ranked 165th; the most babies were born in 1970 (1,767). Over the last ten years it has moved down 234 places. More babies were named Sonia in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Sonia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Sonia in the US.
Where is Sonia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sonia was most common in Washington (0.23 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Illinois.