Sonya
Girl name · #1930 in 2025 · Very rare
Sonya is currently the #1930 girl name in the United States — 100 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1411, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 18,000 girls born in 2025 was named Sonya.
The 120-year story
Sonya first appears in the Social Security records in 1905, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1967, when 2,980 girls were named Sonya — good for #114 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Sonya per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Sonya against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Sonya in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Sonya is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Sonya will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Sonya is most common
State-level data for Sonya is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Sonya
Statistically, parents drawn to Sonya tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Tanya, Sonja, Audra, Sonia, and Sheila.
TanyaSonjaAudraSoniaSheilaGinaTamaraMarla
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Sonya | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 100 | #1927 |
| 2024 | 104 | #1913 |
| 2023 | 107 | #1865 |
| 2022 | 114 | #1793 |
| 2021 | 99 | #1971 |
| 2020 | 110 | #1792 |
| 2019 | 99 | #1961 |
| 2018 | 123 | #1685 |
| 2017 | 135 | #1607 |
| 2016 | 137 | #1605 |
| 2015 | 164 | #1411 |
| 2014 | 161 | #1416 |
| 2013 | 190 | #1254 |
| 2012 | 195 | #1243 |
| 2011 | 170 | #1354 |
| 2010 | 194 | #1241 |
| 2009 | 221 | #1146 |
| 2008 | 201 | #1250 |
| 2007 | 223 | #1147 |
| 2006 | 255 | #1008 |
| 2005 | 214 | #1105 |
| 2004 | 222 | #1043 |
| 2003 | 238 | #974 |
| 2002 | 248 | #905 |
| 2001 | 210 | #1025 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Sonya a popular girl name?
Sonya ranked #1930 among girls in 2025 with 100 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1411.
When was the name Sonya most popular?
Sonya peaked in 1967, when 2,980 American girls received the name (ranked #114 that year). Since 1967 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Sonya?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 18,000 newborn American girls was named Sonya. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.