girls' name ★ peaked 1970

Sonia

Meaning Sophia Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,307 Trend ↓ Falling 19%

Borrowed from Russian Со́ня (Sónja), pet form of Софи́я (Sofíja, “Sophia”).

Rank 2025
#1,307
among girls · ↑49 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
171
named Sonia · +1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,399
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1970
1,777 babies
All-time total
67,026
#494 all-time among girls
First recorded
1895
in Social Security records

Sonia popularity over time

67,026 babies have been named Sonia since 1895, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s 30 – 30 3 – #1,380
1900s 107 – 107 11 +257% #866
1910s 588 – 588 59 +450% #710
1920s 1,230 – 1,230 123 +109% #474
1930s 2,510 – 2,510 251 +104% #302
1940s 2,571 – 2,571 257 +2% #388
1950s 5,865 5 5,870 587 +128% #300
1960s 12,945 37 12,982 1,298 +121% #182
1970s 15,205 97 15,302 1,530 +18% #165
1980s 9,532 111 9,643 964 -37% #209
1990s 7,253 29 7,282 728 -24% #314
2000s 4,886 – 4,886 489 -33% #507
2010s 2,886 – 2,886 289 -41% #721
2020s (to 2025) 1,139 – 1,139 190 -34% #1,127

Where Sonia is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 165 0.10 outside top 500
2027 160 0.10 outside top 500
2028 157 0.10 outside top 500
2029 153 0.10 outside top 500
2030 151 0.09 outside top 500

Where Sonia is most popular

Girls named Sonia per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.114 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, Illinois, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Sonia born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Washington 33 0.228 +100%
Illinois 44 0.192 +69%
California 161 0.192 +68%
Maryland 18 0.170 +49%
Oregon 11 0.169 +48%
New York 63 0.159 +40%
North Carolina 33 0.145 +27%
Massachusetts 17 0.141 +23%
Texas 107 0.133 +17%
Arizona 17 0.121 +6%
Connecticut 7 0.120 +6%
Florida 49 0.115 ≈ national
Michigan 19 0.104 -9%
New Jersey 18 0.100 -13%
Minnesota 10 0.093 -19%
Ohio 17 0.072 -37%
Indiana 10 0.071 -38%
Colorado 6 0.054 -53%
Virginia 7 0.041 -64%
Tennessee 6 0.038 -67%
Georgia 7 0.031 -73%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -81%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Sonia

Sonia is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,307 in 2025 with 171 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1895, 67,026 American babies have been named Sonia. Its peak came in 1970, when 1,777 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sonia stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sonia?

The median living Sonia is about 49 years old; half are between 34 and 58. An estimated 59 thousand people named Sonia are alive in the United States today.

median 49 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sonia year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 171 #1,307 – –
2024 169 #1,356 – –
2023 183 #1,262 – –
2022 211 #1,156 – –
2021 191 #1,234 – –
2020 214 #1,127 – –
2019 217 #1,121 – –
2018 240 #1,064 – –
2017 267 #980 – –
2016 264 #1,003 – –
2015 246 #1,073 – –
2014 283 #950 – –
2013 298 #865 – –
2012 328 #822 – –
2011 351 #776 – –
2010 392 #721 – –
2009 425 #689 – –
2008 423 #709 – –
2007 460 #646 – –
2006 481 #609 – –
2005 489 #582 – –
2004 516 #552 – –
2003 498 #555 – –
2002 520 #530 – –
2001 542 #508 – –
2000 532 #507 – –
1995 711 #368 – –
1990 868 #314 11 #4,945
1985 889 #280 10 #4,297
1980 1,252 #209 9 #4,454
1975 1,491 #177 9 #3,909
1970 1,767 #186 10 #3,250
1965 1,254 #244 – –
1960 951 #303 7 #3,619
1955 591 #358 – –
1950 333 #442 – –
1945 233 #471 – –
1940 299 #388 – –
1935 226 #428 – –
1930 166 #527 – –
1925 108 #711 – –
1920 76 #833 – –
1915 61 #838 – –
1910 20 #993 – –
1905 7 #1,675 – –
1900 8 #1,546 – –
1895 7 #1,412 – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sonia

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi Indian politician (born 1946) Contemporary
  2. 2 Sonia Sotomayor Sonia Sotomayor US Supreme Court justice since 2009 b. 1954 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Sonia Sonia British singer (born 1971) Contemporary
  4. 4 Sonia O'Sullivan Sonia O'Sullivan Irish athlete (born 1969) Contemporary
  5. 5 Sonia Delaunay Sonia Delaunay French artist (1885–1979) 19th century
  6. 6 Sonia Rykiel Sonia Rykiel French fashion designer and writer (1930 - 2016) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sonia, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sonia?

The median living Sonia is about 49 years old. Half of all living Sonias are between 34 and 58 years old.

How many people named Sonia are alive today?

An estimated 59 thousand people named Sonia are alive in the United States, based on 67,026 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sonia mean?

Borrowed from Russian Со́ня (Sónja), pet form of Софи́я (Sofíja, “Sophia”).

How popular is the name Sonia in 2025?

Sonia ranked #1,307 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 171 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sonia?

67,026 babies have been named Sonia in the United States since 1895, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sonia most popular?

Sonia peaked in 1970, when 1,777 newborns received the name.

Is Sonia a boy or girl name?

Sonia is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sonia rising or falling?

Sonia is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Sonia become more popular?

Sonia is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 151 girls named Sonia in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sonia?

Well-known people named Sonia include Sonia Gandhi (politician), Sonia Sotomayor (judge), Sonia (singer).

Names like Sonia

Names that sound and feel close to Sonia: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sonia with similar names → More names starting with S →