Sofiah
An Arabic feminine name meaning "wisdom" or "knowledge".
Name Census estimates that about 245 living Americans carry the first name Sofiah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sofiah today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sofiah births was 2013 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sofiah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
245
~ 1 in 1,398,997 Americans
Peak year
2013
35 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,304
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Sofiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sofiah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 180 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sofiah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sofiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sofiahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sofiah
The name Sofiah is derived from the Arabic word "sofia", which means "wisdom" or "philosophy". It has its roots in ancient Greek philosophy and is a variant of the name Sophia, which was popular among early Christian philosophers and scholars.
The earliest recorded use of the name Sofiah dates back to the 9th century, when it was mentioned in Arabic manuscripts. It was often used by Muslim scholars and intellectuals, as it embodied the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, values that were highly prized in Islamic culture.
In the Middle Ages, the name Sofiah gained popularity in Europe, particularly in countries with strong ties to the Byzantine Empire, such as Greece and Russia. During this time, the name was associated with the concept of divine wisdom, as it was often used in religious texts and iconography to represent the personification of wisdom.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Sofiah was Sofiah Paleologina, a 15th-century Byzantine princess who married Ivan III, the Grand Prince of Moscow. Their marriage played a significant role in strengthening the ties between the Byzantine and Russian empires.
Another prominent figure was Sofiah al-Sufi, a 10th-century Persian astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of astronomy. Her work on describing the positions of stars and planets was highly influential in the Islamic world.
In the 16th century, Sofiah Duleep Singh, a Punjabi princess and influential figure in the British suffragette movement, was born in 1876. She fought for women's rights and was a prominent advocate for Indian independence.
The name Sofiah was also used by Sofiah Tolstaya, the wife of the renowned Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. Born in 1844, she played a crucial role in preserving and promoting her husband's literary legacy.
In the 20th century, Sofiah Loren, the iconic Italian actress known for her stunning beauty and acting talent, was born in 1934. She won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, and was a cultural icon during the golden age of Hollywood.
People
Sofiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sofiah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sofiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sofiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 245 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sofiah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,398,997 US residents.
Is Sofiah a common name?
We classify Sofiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 247 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sofiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Sofiah was 2013, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sofiah is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sofiah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sofiah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.