Sonali
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "golden" or "beautifully golden".
Name Census estimates that about 1,300 living Americans carry the first name Sonali. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sonali today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sonali births was 2000 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sonali. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Sonali with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 263,657 Americans
Peak year
2000
60 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,345
Tracked since 1970
Census
Sonali in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,866 people with the first name Sonali, which placed it at #5,804 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,804
National first-name rank
People counted
2.9K
2,866 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
85.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sonali
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sonali is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sonali described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Sonali at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.9% · 2,461
- Two or more races5.2% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 102
- White2.9% · 82
- Black or African American2.4% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Popularity
Sonali: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sonali from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 410 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Sonali remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sonali 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 Sonali during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sonalis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, New York, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Sonali, while Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 59 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sonali
The name Sonali has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that has been a prominent linguistic force in the Indian subcontinent for over three millennia. The word "sonali" is derived from the Sanskrit term "sona," which translates to "gold." This etymology suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals with a golden complexion or as a metaphorical reference to their perceived preciousness.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sonali can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures. In the Rigveda, one of the oldest extant texts of Hinduism, there are references to the term "sonali" being used as an adjective to describe the radiant hue of the sun's rays.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sonali. One of the earliest recorded figures was Sonali Devi (c. 1420-1460), a renowned poet and mystic from the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. Her compositions, which explored themes of devotion and spirituality, are still revered within certain literary circles.
In the 16th century, Sonali Bai (1504-1567) was a prominent courtesan and poet in the Mughal Empire. Her poetic works, which often celebrated love and beauty, were highly regarded during her lifetime and have been preserved in various anthologies.
Moving forward in time, Sonali Das (1808-1878) was a celebrated Bengali novelist and social reformer who used her literary works to advocate for women's rights and education. Her novel "Rohini Kulangini" is considered a groundbreaking work in the realm of Bengali literature.
In more recent history, Sonali Bendre (born 1975) is an acclaimed Indian actress who has appeared in numerous Bollywood films and television shows. She is also known for her philanthropic efforts, particularly in the realm of cancer awareness and support.
Sonali Kulkarni (born 1974) is another accomplished Indian actress who has made her mark in both Marathi and Hindi cinema. She has received numerous accolades for her performances, including several prestigious awards.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have carried the name Sonali throughout history. The name's rich linguistic heritage and its symbolic association with radiance and preciousness have made it a popular choice across various cultures and generations.
People
Sonali + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sonali 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
Sonali: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sonali?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,300 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sonali 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 263,657 US residents.
Is Sonali a common name?
We classify Sonali as "Rare". It ranks above 91.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,336 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sonali most popular?
The single biggest year for Sonali was 2000, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sonali is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sonali in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,866 people with the name Sonali, or 0.95 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,804 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Sonali in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sonali?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sonali appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,867 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sonali?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sonali is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Sonali most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sonali in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (2,461 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sonali in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sonali a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sonali 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.
Is Sonali still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sonali in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sonali can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Sonali as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.