Sonya
Sonya was the 1939th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 100 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 114th with 2,980 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 525 places. More babies were named Sonya in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Sophia; "wisdom" · Russian, Greek
Say it SOHN-yuh /ˈsoʊnjə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,939 girls, down 134 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 100girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19672,980 babies
- Total since 1880
- 65,954babies recorded
What does the name Sonya mean?
Sonya is the English spelling of the Russian and Ukrainian Sonya, an informal pet form of Sofiya or Sofya (Sophia), from Greek sophia, "wisdom". Wiktionary notes that the name came into English through 19th-century Russian novels and came into general use in the early 20th century. Sonya is the usual American spelling, Sonia the British one.
Со́ня (Russian, “Sonya, pet form of Sofiya”)σοφία (Ancient Greek, “wisdom”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Sonia, Sonja, Sophia, Sofia.
See also: Greek names, names that mean wisdom.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Sonya', 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)
Sonya popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 182 since 1962.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,939 | 100 |
| 2020 | #1,805 | 110 |
| 2010 | #1,243 | 194 |
| 2000 | #892 | 247 |
| 1990 | #513 | 470 |
| 1980 | #215 | 1,206 |
| 1970 | #131 | 2,740 |
| 1960 | #245 | 1,274 |
| 1950 | #587 | 206 |
| 1940 | #489 | 197 |
| 1930 | #845 | 72 |
| 1920 | #1,622 | 27 |
| 1910 | #2,116 | 7 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Sonya, counting every spelling?
Sonya has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,745 for girls in 2025, against #1,939 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Sonya?
100 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sonya (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Sonya 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 84 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sonya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sonya?
About 58,200 people born in the US named Sonya are alive today, with a median age of 55; half are between 45 and 60. That makes Sonya 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.
Sonya by state
How common Sonya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 39 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 Sonya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sonya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Sonya · Sibling names for Sonya
Questions about the name Sonya
What does Sonya mean?
Sonya means “pet form of Sophia; "wisdom"” (Russian, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Sonya?
Sonya was the 1939th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 100 babies. Its best year was 1967, when it ranked 114th with 2,980 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 525 places. More babies were named Sonya in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Sonya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Sonya in the US.
Where is Sonya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sonya was most common in Colorado (0.10 per 1,000 girls), followed by Wisconsin and California.