Sonja
Sonja was the 3966th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 37 babies. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked 180th; the most babies were born in 1968 (1,339). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,759 places. More babies were named Sonja in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Sophia; "wisdom" · Russian, Scandinavian, Greek
Say it SOHN-yuh /ˈsoʊnjə/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,966 girls, down 1,629 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 37girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19681,339 babies
- Total since 1880
- 39,557babies recorded
What does the name Sonja mean?
Sonja is the German, Scandinavian and Slavic spelling of Sonya, the Russian pet form of Sofiya (Sophia), from the Greek sophia, "wisdom". Wikipedia treats Sonia, Sonja and Sonya as variant spellings of one name. In the US Sonja was most popular in the late 1930s, when the Norwegian skater and film star Sonja Henie was famous there.
Со́ня (Russian, “Sonya, pet form of Sofiya”)σοφία (Ancient Greek, “wisdom”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Sonya, Sonia, Sophia, Sofia.
See also: Greek names, names that mean wisdom.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Sonja', 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)
Sonja popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 44 since 1938.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,966 | 37 |
| 2020 | #2,337 | 76 |
| 2010 | #1,858 | 110 |
| 2000 | #1,502 | 123 |
| 1990 | #831 | 237 |
| 1980 | #508 | 397 |
| 1970 | #238 | 1,310 |
| 1960 | #347 | 758 |
| 1950 | #436 | 345 |
| 1940 | #238 | 713 |
| 1930 | #853 | 71 |
| 1920 | #3,071 | 11 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Sonja, counting every spelling?
Sonja has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Sonja?
37 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sonja (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Sonja 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 226 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sonja.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sonja?
About 31,800 people born in the US named Sonja are alive today, with a median age of 58; half are between 48 and 66. That makes Sonja a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Sonja by state
How common Sonja was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (8.5×). In 46 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 Sonja: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sonja, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Sonja · Sibling names for Sonja
Questions about the name Sonja
What does Sonja mean?
Sonja means “pet form of Sophia; "wisdom"” (Russian, Scandinavian, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Sonja?
Sonja was the 3966th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 37 babies. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked 180th; the most babies were born in 1968 (1,339). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,759 places. More babies were named Sonja in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Sonja a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Sonja in the US.
Where is Sonja most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sonja was most common in Minnesota (0.28 per 1,000 girls), followed by Washington and Pennsylvania.