Sonji
A Persian name meaning "blessed".
Name Census estimates that about 772 living Americans carry the first name Sonji. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sonji today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sonji births was 1966 (225 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sonji. 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
772
~ 1 in 443,982 Americans
Peak year
1966
225 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1991 SSA rank
#12,928
Tracked since 1951
Census
Sonji in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 809 people with the first name Sonji, which placed it at #14,548 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
#14,548
National first-name rank
People counted
809
809 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
80.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sonji
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sonji is Black at 80.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Sonji 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 Sonji at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.7% · 653
- White9.8% · 79
- Two or more races5.6% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Popularity
Sonji: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sonji from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 629 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sonji 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 Sonji during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sonjis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Illinois, Georgia, New York recorded the most babies named Sonji, while South Carolina, Wisconsin, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sonji
The name Sonji has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was an ancient classical language of the Indian subcontinent. The name can be traced back to the 5th century BCE and is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "sonja," which means "pure" or "virtuous."
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Sonji can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, one of the oldest texts in the Vedic tradition, there are references to a sage named Sonji who was revered for his wisdom and spiritual teachings.
In the 7th century CE, a Buddhist monk named Sonji Shaku traveled from India to China, where he played a significant role in spreading the teachings of Buddhism. He is credited with establishing several monasteries and training numerous disciples in the Dharma.
During the medieval period, the name Sonji was also used in various parts of the Indian subcontinent. One notable figure was Sonji Devi, a queen who ruled over the Rajput kingdom of Mewar in the 15th century. She was known for her bravery and her efforts to protect her kingdom from invaders.
In the 16th century, a Sufi saint named Sonji Shah was born in present-day Pakistan. He was renowned for his spiritual teachings and his ability to perform miracles. His shrine in the city of Rohri is still visited by many devotees today.
Another notable individual bearing the name Sonji was a Japanese artist and calligrapher who lived in the 18th century. Sonji Kiyohara was renowned for his mastery of the traditional Japanese art of calligraphy and his works are still admired and studied by calligraphers around the world.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Sonji. While the name may not be as common today as it once was, it continues to hold cultural and historical significance, particularly in regions where Sanskrit and its influence have played a significant role.
People
Sonji + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sonji 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
Sonji: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sonji?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 772 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sonji 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 443,982 US residents.
Is Sonji a common name?
We classify Sonji as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 904 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sonji most popular?
The single biggest year for Sonji was 1966, when 225 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sonji is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sonji in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 809 people with the name Sonji, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,548 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 Sonji 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 Sonji?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sonji leans strongly female. 798 people counted with this name were female (98.8%), compared with 10 male bearers (1.2%). 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 Sonji?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sonji is Black at 80.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Sonji most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Sonji in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (653 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 Sonji in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sonji a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sonji 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 Sonji still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sonji 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 Sonji 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 Sonji as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Sonji on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.