girls' name ★ peaked 1967

Sonya

Meaning Sofia, Sophia Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,939 Trend → Stable

Borrowed from Russian and Ukrainian Со́ня (Sónja), an informal pet form of Со́фья (Sófʹja), Софі́я (Sofíja) or Софи́я (Sofíja, “Sofia, Sophia”), from the Ancient Greek…

Rank 2025
#1,939
among girls · ↓15 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
100
named Sonya · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,073
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1967
2,987 babies
All-time total
65,954
#499 all-time among girls
First recorded
1905
in Social Security records

Sonya popularity over time

65,954 babies have been named Sonya since 1905, 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
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 18 – 18 2 – #1,745
1910s 209 – 209 21 +1061% #1,061
1920s 416 – 416 42 +99% #790
1930s 1,655 – 1,655 166 +298% #427
1940s 1,759 – 1,759 176 +6% #489
1950s 3,664 – 3,664 366 +108% #339
1960s 22,289 62 22,351 2,235 +510% #114
1970s 19,468 88 19,556 1,956 -13% #122
1980s 8,428 32 8,460 846 -57% #215
1990s 3,385 – 3,385 339 -60% #513
2000s 2,279 – 2,279 228 -33% #892
2010s 1,568 – 1,568 157 -31% #1,243
2020s (to 2025) 634 – 634 106 -33% #1,805

Where Sonya 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 99 0.06 outside top 500
2027 99 0.06 outside top 500
2028 99 0.06 outside top 500
2029 98 0.06 outside top 500
2030 98 0.06 outside top 500

Where Sonya is most popular

Girls named Sonya per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.065 per 1,000. Strongest in Colorado, Wisconsin, 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 Sonya 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
Colorado 11 0.099 +53%
Wisconsin 10 0.097 +50%
California 66 0.079 +22%
Washington 11 0.076 +18%
Pennsylvania 18 0.076 +18%
Minnesota 6 0.056 -14%
New York 20 0.051 -22%
Texas 34 0.042 -35%
Florida 16 0.037 -42%
Arizona 5 0.036 -45%
Virginia 5 0.029 -55%
Georgia 5 0.022 -66%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Sonya

Sonya is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,939 in 2025 with 100 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1905, 65,954 American babies have been named Sonya. Its peak came in 1967, when 2,987 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 Sonya stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sonya?

The median living Sonya is about 54 years old; half are between 45 and 59. An estimated 60 thousand people named Sonya are alive in the United States today.

median 54 020406080100

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

Sonya 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 100 #1,939 – –
2024 104 #1,924 – –
2023 107 #1,877 – –
2022 114 #1,805 – –
2021 99 #1,978 – –
2020 110 #1,805 – –
2019 99 #1,969 – –
2018 123 #1,691 – –
2017 135 #1,612 – –
2016 137 #1,612 – –
2015 164 #1,414 – –
2014 161 #1,421 – –
2013 190 #1,259 – –
2012 195 #1,247 – –
2011 170 #1,361 – –
2010 194 #1,243 – –
2009 221 #1,150 – –
2008 201 #1,256 – –
2007 223 #1,151 – –
2006 255 #1,012 – –
2005 214 #1,109 – –
2004 222 #1,047 – –
2003 238 #976 – –
2002 248 #907 – –
2001 210 #1,030 – –
2000 247 #892 – –
1995 310 #689 – –
1990 470 #513 – –
1985 797 #303 – –
1980 1,206 #215 5 #7,161
1975 1,760 #154 5 #6,219
1970 2,740 #131 15 #2,496
1965 2,351 #160 8 #3,214
1960 1,274 #245 – –
1955 340 #500 – –
1950 206 #587 – –
1945 165 #571 – –
1940 197 #489 – –
1935 190 #463 – –
1930 72 #845 – –
1925 34 #1,405 – –
1920 27 #1,622 – –
1915 20 #1,733 – –
1910 7 #2,116 – –
1905 5 #2,195 – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sonya

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

  1. 1 Sonya Walger Sonya Walger British and American actress b. 1974 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Sonya Smith American and Venezuelan actress b. 1972 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Sonya?

The median living Sonya is about 54 years old. Half of all living Sonyas are between 45 and 59 years old.

How many people named Sonya are alive today?

An estimated 60 thousand people named Sonya are alive in the United States, based on 65,954 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sonya mean?

Borrowed from Russian and Ukrainian Со́ня (Sónja), an informal pet form of Со́фья (Sófʹja), Софі́я (Sofíja) or Софи́я (Sofíja, “Sofia, Sophia”), from the Ancient Greek σοφία (sophía, “wisdom”).

How popular is the name Sonya in 2025?

Sonya ranked #1,939 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 100 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sonya?

65,954 babies have been named Sonya in the United States since 1905, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sonya most popular?

Sonya peaked in 1967, when 2,987 newborns received the name.

Is Sonya a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Sonya rising or falling?

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

Will Sonya become more popular?

Sonya looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 98 girls named Sonya in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sonya?

Well-known people named Sonya include Sonya Walger (actor), Sonya Smith (actor).

Names like Sonya

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

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