Soraya
Soraya was the 868th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 313 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 365 places. More babies were named Soraya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning the Pleiades (star cluster) · Persian, Arabic
Say it suh-RY-uh /səˈraɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #868 girls, up 318 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 313girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025313 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,811babies recorded
What does the name Soraya mean?
Soraya is a Persian girls' name for the Pleiades, the star cluster. Wiktionary traces it to Classical Persian surayya, from Arabic thurayya, a diminutive form of an Arabic word for "abundant, many"; Wikipedia gives the same origin. Persian also uses surayya for a brilliant jewel. The name was used in Moorish Spain, and Queen Soraya, second wife of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, made it widely known in Europe.
ثریا (Persian, “the Pleiades; brilliant gem”)ثُرَيَّا (Arabic, “the Pleiades”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Suraya, Zoraya, Thurayya.
See also: Persian names, names that mean sky, star, moon or sun.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Soraya', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'ثريا', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Soraya', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Soraya popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #868 | 313 |
| 2020 | #1,186 | 196 |
| 2010 | #1,228 | 197 |
| 2000 | #1,864 | 92 |
| 1990 | #2,342 | 54 |
| 1980 | #2,009 | 53 |
| 1970 | #2,235 | 36 |
| 1960 | #2,564 | 23 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Soraya, counting every spelling?
Soraya is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #785 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #868 for Soraya on its own. Together these spellings went to 348 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soraya | 313 | #868 | 1,321 |
| Sorayah | 26 | #5,084 | 87 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Soraya?
313 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Soraya (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Soraya 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 27 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Soraya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Soraya?
About 6,700 people born in the US named Soraya are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 7 and 26. That makes Soraya mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Soraya by state
How common Soraya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New York (1.9×), Florida (1.8×). In 23 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 Soraya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Soraya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Soraya · Sibling names for Soraya
Questions about the name Soraya
What does Soraya mean?
Soraya means “the Pleiades (star cluster)” (Persian, Arabic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Soraya?
Soraya was the 868th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 313 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 365 places. More babies were named Soraya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Soraya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Soraya in the US.
Where is Soraya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Soraya was most common in New York (0.31 per 1,000 girls), followed by Florida and Pennsylvania.