Soorya
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "sun" or "daughter of the sun".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Soorya. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Soorya today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Soorya births was 2003 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Soorya. 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 Soorya with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Soorya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2003
6 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2007 SSA rank
#14,093
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Soorya: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Soorya 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 Soorya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Soorya
The name Soorya originates from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the root of many modern Indian languages. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Surya', which translates to 'sun' or 'solar deity'. This name holds great significance in Hindu mythology and culture, as Surya is the name of the Sun God, one of the principal deities in Hinduism.
The name Soorya can be traced back to the Vedic period, which is considered one of the oldest periods in Indian history, dating back to around 1500-500 BCE. It appears in various Hindu scriptures, including the Vedas, Puranas, and Epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. In these texts, Surya is portrayed as a powerful and radiant deity, responsible for providing light, warmth, and sustenance to the world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Soorya can be found in the Rig Veda, one of the oldest and most revered Hindu scriptures. In the Rig Veda, there are several hymns dedicated to the praise of Surya, highlighting his importance in the Hindu pantheon. Additionally, the name appears in the Mahabharata, where Surya is mentioned as the father of Karna, one of the central characters in the epic.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Soorya. One of the most famous was Soorya Siddhanta (4th century CE), a renowned Indian astronomer and mathematician who authored the Surya Siddhanta, a significant text on Indian astronomy and astrology. Another notable figure was Soorya Kavi (11th century CE), a highly regarded Sanskrit poet and scholar from the Chola dynasty in South India.
In the early modern era, Soorya Mal (1530-1619) was a prominent Hindu ruler and the founder of the Suryavanshi dynasty in present-day Rajasthan, India. Soorya Narayana Vyas (1857-1912) was a revered Indian philosopher, social reformer, and Sanskrit scholar who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.
More recently, Soorya Krishnamoorthy (1926-2022) was an acclaimed Indian filmmaker and screenwriter, known for his contributions to the Tamil film industry. Soorya Bartholomew (1892-1984) was an Indian civil servant and writer who served as the Governor of Odisha and Assam in the mid-20th century.
While the name Soorya has its roots in Hindu mythology and culture, it has transcended religious boundaries and is now used across various communities in India and abroad. The name continues to be popular, carrying the symbolic significance of the sun's radiance, warmth, and life-giving properties.
People
Soorya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Soorya 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
Soorya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Soorya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Soorya 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Soorya a common name?
We classify Soorya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Soorya most popular?
The single biggest year for Soorya was 2003, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Soorya is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Soorya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Soorya a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Soorya in the SSA data are male. 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 Soorya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Soorya 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 Soorya 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Soorya?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Soorya at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.