Girl nameCurrently #6 in the USFalling
Sophia
soh-FEE-uh//soʊˈfiːə//
3 syllablesPeak year: 20126 lettersStarts with S
Meaning & origin
Wisdom
Sophia comes directly from the Greek word for wisdom, 'sophia', and was borne by early Christian saints and later by European royal consorts including several Byzantine and Hanoverian queens. Its English variant Sophie has long been popular too, and Sophia itself became one of the most-used girls' names worldwide in the 2010s.
Sophia's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Sophia |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 138 |
| 1881 | 122 |
| 1882 | 179 |
| 1883 | 159 |
| 1884 | 170 |
| 1885 | 185 |
| 1886 | 218 |
| 1887 | 192 |
| 1888 | 251 |
| 1889 | 251 |
| 1890 | 245 |
| 1891 | 220 |
| 1892 | 241 |
| 1893 | 247 |
| 1894 | 276 |
| 1895 | 259 |
| 1896 | 278 |
| 1897 | 278 |
| 1898 | 240 |
| 1899 | 238 |
| 1900 | 259 |
| 1901 | 221 |
| 1902 | 256 |
| 1903 | 213 |
| 1904 | 230 |
| 1905 | 237 |
| 1906 | 247 |
| 1907 | 265 |
| 1908 | 276 |
| 1909 | 256 |
| 1910 | 271 |
| 1911 | 272 |
| 1912 | 397 |
| 1913 | 429 |
| 1914 | 548 |
| 1915 | 692 |
| 1916 | 697 |
| 1917 | 703 |
| 1918 | 629 |
| 1919 | 604 |
| 1920 | 545 |
| 1921 | 489 |
| 1922 | 390 |
| 1923 | 369 |
| 1924 | 357 |
| 1925 | 289 |
| 1926 | 234 |
| 1927 | 240 |
| 1928 | 195 |
| 1929 | 169 |
| 1930 | 152 |
| 1931 | 133 |
| 1932 | 132 |
| 1933 | 103 |
| 1934 | 112 |
| 1935 | 101 |
| 1936 | 98 |
| 1937 | 104 |
| 1938 | 88 |
| 1939 | 99 |
| 1940 | 105 |
| 1941 | 107 |
| 1942 | 81 |
| 1943 | 104 |
| 1944 | 104 |
| 1945 | 103 |
| 1946 | 107 |
| 1947 | 108 |
| 1948 | 112 |
| 1949 | 123 |
| 1950 | 109 |
| 1951 | 153 |
| 1952 | 110 |
| 1953 | 129 |
| 1954 | 113 |
| 1955 | 152 |
| 1956 | 121 |
| 1957 | 188 |
| 1958 | 226 |
| 1959 | 277 |
| 1960 | 262 |
| 1961 | 324 |
| 1962 | 486 |
| 1963 | 524 |
| 1964 | 477 |
| 1965 | 509 |
| 1966 | 589 |
| 1967 | 603 |
| 1968 | 553 |
| 1969 | 593 |
| 1970 | 580 |
| 1971 | 591 |
| 1972 | 486 |
| 1973 | 455 |
| 1974 | 385 |
| 1975 | 385 |
| 1976 | 366 |
| 1977 | 432 |
| 1978 | 409 |
| 1979 | 493 |
| 1980 | 641 |
| 1981 | 1,240 |
| 1982 | 1,161 |
| 1983 | 1,203 |
| 1984 | 1,082 |
| 1985 | 1,107 |
| 1986 | 1,065 |
| 1987 | 1,129 |
| 1988 | 1,170 |
| 1989 | 1,074 |
| 1990 | 1,129 |
| 1991 | 1,263 |
| 1992 | 1,355 |
| 1993 | 1,498 |
| 1994 | 1,620 |
| 1995 | 1,765 |
| 1996 | 2,518 |
| 1997 | 3,645 |
| 1998 | 4,314 |
| 1999 | 5,429 |
| 2000 | 6,570 |
| 2001 | 7,171 |
| 2002 | 8,671 |
| 2003 | 9,699 |
| 2004 | 10,959 |
| 2005 | 12,694 |
| 2006 | 13,525 |
| 2007 | 17,049 |
| 2008 | 16,102 |
| 2009 | 16,960 |
| 2010 | 20,681 |
| 2011 | 21,884 |
| 2012 | 22,353 |
| 2013 | 21,279 |
| 2014 | 18,661 |
| 2015 | 17,465 |
| 2016 | 16,200 |
| 2017 | 14,955 |
| 2018 | 14,020 |
| 2019 | 13,829 |
| 2020 | 13,106 |
| 2021 | 12,588 |
| 2022 | 12,387 |
| 2023 | 11,993 |
| 2024 | 12,088 |
Sophia through the decades
- Sophia peaked in 2012, when 22,353 babies were named Sophia in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Sophia has fallen 23% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Sophia currently ranks #6 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
SophieSofi
Variants & spellings
SofiaSophieZsofia
Famous people named Sophia
- Sophia Loren — actress