# Sorcha (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/sorcha/  
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 | Scottish Gaelic |
| Meaning | “light”, “radiant” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɔːɹkə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 265 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 265 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 516, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Irish and Scottish Gaelic Sorcha (literally “light, radiant”).

## What it means

Sorcha is grouped under light.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 11 | 10,712 |
| 2009 | 8 | 13,530 |
| 2010 | 15 | 8,237 |
| 2011 | 9 | 12,030 |
| 2012 | 10 | 11,161 |
| 2014 | 6 | 16,270 |
| 2015 | 7 | 14,327 |
| 2016 | 10 | 10,755 |
| 2017 | 13 | 8,726 |
| 2019 | 7 | 13,629 |
| 2020 | 5 | 17,204 |
| 2021 | 6 | 15,030 |
| 2022 | 5 | 17,442 |
| 2023 | 7 | 13,294 |
| 2025 | 7 | 13,015 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 9 | 2,636 |
| 2012 | 17 | 1,720 |
| 2013 | 6 | 3,536 |
| 2014 | 8 | 2,862 |
| 2015 | 10 | 2,496 |
| 2016 | 6 | 3,609 |
| 2017 | 9 | 2,706 |
| 2018 | 8 | 2,901 |
| 2019 | 8 | 2,869 |
| 2020 | 9 | 2,615 |
| 2021 | 9 | 2,711 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4,645 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4,709 |
| 2024 | 4 | 4,843 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5,927 |

## 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.