# Sonya (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/sonya/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Russian |
| Meaning | “sofia”, “sophia”, “wisdom” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsoʊn.jə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Sonia |
| US babies named this | 65,954 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 182 / 65,772 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 308, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

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”). It was introduced into English through 19th century Russian literature and taken into general use in early twentieth century.

## What it means

Sonya is grouped under wise.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 170 | 1,361 |
| 2012 | 195 | 1,247 |
| 2013 | 190 | 1,259 |
| 2014 | 161 | 1,421 |
| 2015 | 164 | 1,414 |
| 2016 | 137 | 1,612 |
| 2017 | 135 | 1,612 |
| 2018 | 123 | 1,691 |
| 2019 | 99 | 1,969 |
| 2020 | 110 | 1,805 |
| 2021 | 99 | 1,978 |
| 2022 | 114 | 1,805 |
| 2023 | 107 | 1,877 |
| 2024 | 104 | 1,924 |
| 2025 | 100 | 1,939 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 8 | 3,553 |
| 1970 | 15 | 2,496 |
| 1971 | 18 | 2,269 |
| 1972 | 9 | 3,575 |
| 1973 | 13 | 2,839 |
| 1974 | 12 | 3,102 |
| 1975 | 5 | 6,219 |
| 1976 | 5 | 6,378 |
| 1977 | 11 | 3,577 |
| 1980 | 5 | 7,161 |
| 1981 | 6 | 6,147 |
| 1982 | 6 | 6,291 |
| 1983 | 5 | 7,188 |
| 1987 | 5 | 7,979 |
| 1988 | 5 | 8,341 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 9 | 2,636 |
| 2012 | 8 | 2,969 |
| 2013 | 12 | 2,176 |
| 2014 | 9 | 2,659 |
| 2015 | 7 | 3,252 |
| 2016 | 8 | 2,966 |
| 2017 | 5 | 4,063 |
| 2018 | 11 | 2,340 |
| 2019 | 12 | 2,170 |
| 2020 | 6 | 3,447 |
| 2021 | 9 | 2,711 |
| 2022 | 12 | 2,178 |
| 2023 | 3 | 5,687 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3,318 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3,333 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: صونيا
- Czech: Soňa
- Danish: Sonja
- Finnish: Sonja
- French: Sonia
- German: Sonja
- Greek: Σόνια
- Hungarian: Szonja
- Italian: Sonia
- Norwegian: Sonja
- Portuguese: Sônia, Sónia
- Russian: Со́ня
- Spanish: Sonia
- Swedish: Sonja
- Ukrainian: Соня

## People named Sonya

- Sonya Walger, British-American actress
- Sonya Yoncheva, Bulgarian opera singer
- Sonya Smith, American-Venezuelan actress
- Sonya Eddy, American actress (1967–2022)
- Sonya Levien, American screenwriter (1888-1960)
- Sonya Hartnett, Australian writer
- Sonya Cassidy, British actor
- Sonya Salomaa, actress
- Sonya Noskowiak, American photographer (1900-1975)
- Sonya Jeyaseelan, Canadian tennis player
- Sonya Klopfer, American figure skater (1934–2025)
- Sonya Agbessi, Benin athlete

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.