Sonya
Sonya is a girl's name of Slavic origin.
Meaning
Wisdom.
Origin and history
Sonya is a Russian diminutive of Sophia, which originates from the Greek word for wisdom. The name gained popular usage in Western countries during the 20th century. In the United States, it reached its peak popularity in the 1970s and remains a recognizable classic.
Popularity in the United States
65,772 babies in the United States have been named Sonya since 1880. It ranks #498 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #1472.
States where it is most popular
- CA (8.7 %)
- TX (8.3 %)
- NY (5.3 %)
- GA (5.3 %)
- NC (5.1 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 0 |
| 1890-1900 | 0 |
| 1900-1910 | 18 |
| 1910-1920 | 209 |
| 1920-1930 | 416 |
| 1930-1940 | 1,655 |
| 1940-1950 | 1,759 |
| 1950-1960 | 3,664 |
| 1960-1970 | 22,289 |
| 1970-1980 | 19,468 |
| 1980-1990 | 8,428 |
| 1990-2000 | 3,385 |
| 2000-2010 | 2,279 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,568 |
| 2020-2029 | 634 |
Famous people named Sonya
- Sonya Walger: Actress
- Sonya Sotomayor: Jurist, Supreme Court Justice
Fun facts
- Sonya originated as an affectionate Russian diminutive of the classic name Sophia.
- The name appears prominently in classic Russian literature, including Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace and Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.