Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1967

Sonja

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #3,966 Trend ↓ Falling 29%
Rank 2025
#3,966
among girls · ↓991 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
37
named Sonja · -34% vs 2024
How common
1 in 43,440
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1967
1,343 babies
All-time total
39,557
#695 all-time among girls
First recorded
1906
in Social Security records

Sonja popularity over time

39,557 babies have been named Sonja since 1906, 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 – – – – – –
1900s 6 – 6 1 – #1,925
1910s 89 – 89 9 +1383% #1,998
1920s 231 – 231 23 +160% #1,239
1930s 3,143 10 3,153 315 +1265% #180
1940s 5,081 5 5,086 509 +61% #238
1950s 4,619 – 4,619 462 -9% #365
1960s 10,962 14 10,976 1,098 +138% #220
1970s 7,962 15 7,977 798 -27% #233
1980s 3,240 – 3,240 324 -59% #502
1990s 1,695 – 1,695 170 -48% #831
2000s 1,187 – 1,187 119 -30% #1,502
2010s 956 – 956 96 -19% #1,800
2020s (to 2025) 342 – 342 57 -40% #2,337

Where Sonja 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 34 0.02 outside top 500
2027 32 0.02 outside top 500
2028 31 0.02 outside top 500
2029 29 0.02 outside top 500
2030 28 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Sonja

Sonja is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,966 in 2025 with 37 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1906, 39,557 American babies have been named Sonja. Its peak came in 1967, when 1,343 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Sonja stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sonja?

The median living Sonja is about 57 years old; half are between 48 and 65. An estimated 33 thousand people named Sonja are alive in the United States today.

median 57 020406080100

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

Sonja 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 37 #3,966 – –
2024 56 #2,975 – –
2023 65 #2,698 – –
2022 40 #3,822 – –
2021 68 #2,582 – –
2020 76 #2,337 – –
2019 80 #2,284 – –
2018 77 #2,385 – –
2017 69 #2,568 – –
2016 92 #2,124 – –
2015 86 #2,207 – –
2014 110 #1,850 – –
2013 110 #1,846 – –
2012 114 #1,800 – –
2011 108 #1,869 – –
2010 110 #1,858 – –
2009 121 #1,790 – –
2008 120 #1,814 – –
2007 105 #1,969 – –
2006 128 #1,662 – –
2005 127 #1,607 – –
2004 133 #1,519 – –
2003 114 #1,686 – –
2002 110 #1,682 – –
2001 106 #1,712 – –
2000 123 #1,502 – –
1995 121 #1,367 – –
1990 237 #831 – –
1985 303 #621 – –
1980 397 #508 – –
1975 615 #354 – –
1970 1,310 #238 – –
1965 1,125 #255 – –
1960 758 #347 – –
1955 445 #419 – –
1950 345 #436 – –
1945 455 #317 – –
1940 713 #238 – –
1935 92 #704 – –
1930 71 #853 – –
1925 18 #2,181 – –
1920 11 #3,071 – –
1915 11 #2,670 – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sonja

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

  1. 1 Sonja Sohn Sonja Sohn American actress (born 1964) Contemporary
  2. 2 Sonja Henie Sonja Henie Norwegian figure skater and film star (1912–1969) Contemporary
  3. 3 Sonja Gerhardt Sonja Gerhardt German actress (born 1989) Contemporary
  4. 4 Sonja Ziemann Sonja Ziemann German actress (1926–2020) Contemporary
  5. 5 Sonja Graf Sonja Graf German chess player (1908–1965) Contemporary
  6. 6 Sonja Vasić Serbian basketball player (born 1989) Contemporary
  7. 7 Sonja Nef Swiss alpine skier b. 1972 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Sonja Barjaktarović Sonja Barjaktarović Montenegrin handball player (born 1986) Contemporary
  9. 9 Sonja Edström Sonja Edström Swedish cross-country skier (1930–2020) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Sonja?

The median living Sonja is about 57 years old. Half of all living Sonjas are between 48 and 65 years old.

How many people named Sonja are alive today?

An estimated 33 thousand people named Sonja are alive in the United States, based on 39,557 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Sonja in 2025?

Sonja ranked #3,966 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 37 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sonja?

39,557 babies have been named Sonja in the United States since 1906, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sonja most popular?

Sonja peaked in 1967, when 1,343 newborns received the name.

Is Sonja a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Sonja rising or falling?

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

Will Sonja become more popular?

Sonja is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 28 girls named Sonja 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 Sonja?

Well-known people named Sonja include Sonja Sohn (actor), Sonja Henie (skater), Sonja Gerhardt (actor).

Names like Sonja

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

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