The first name Soraya
A girl’s name from Persian meaning “brilliant gem”, “pleiades”.
2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Persian origin
Soraya means “brilliant gem”, “pleiades” in Persian.
Borrowed from Iranian Persian ثریا (sorayyâ), from Classical Persian ثریا (surayyā, “brilliant gem; Pleiades”), ultimately from Arabic ثُرَيَّا (ṯurayyā).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 76 girls were named Soraya, making it the 526th most popular girls’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Soraya with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Soraya at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 313 girls born in the United States were named Soraya, the 868th most popular girls’ name that year.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Soraya in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Soraya in French and Spanish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
- Surayya
- Surayyo
- Sorayya
Famous people named Soraya
6 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Soraya HaddadAlgerian judoka, born 1984
- Soraya PostFormer Swedish MEP (2014–2019)
- SorayaColombian-American singer-songwriter, 1969–2006
- Soraya ThronickeBrazilian politician and lawyer, born 1973
- Soraya Martinez FerradaChilean-Canadian politician, born 1972
- Soraya Rahim SobhrangAfghan politician, physician, and human rights activist, born 1958
More Persian girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Soraya mean?
- Soraya means “brilliant gem”, “pleiades” in Persian.
- What is the origin of the name Soraya?
- Borrowed from Iranian Persian ثریا (sorayyâ), from Classical Persian ثریا (surayyā, “brilliant gem; Pleiades”), ultimately from Arabic ثُرَيَّا (ṯurayyā).
- How popular is the name Soraya?
- In 2025, 76 girls born in England and Wales were named Soraya, ranking 526th.
- Is Soraya a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 6,811 US babies named Soraya since 1880 were girls.
- When was Soraya most popular?
- 2025 in the United States, when 313 babies were named Soraya, its highest rank at 868th.
- What are other spellings of Soraya?
- Surayya, Surayyo and Sorayya.