Sophya
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "wisdom, skilled".
Name Census estimates that about 614 living Americans carry the first name Sophya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sophya today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sophya births was 2011 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sophya. 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
614
~ 1 in 558,232 Americans
Peak year
2011
65 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,882
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Sophya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sophya 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 389 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
Sophya 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 Sophya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sophyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Sophya, while Florida, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 50 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sophya
The name Sophya has its origins in the Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is a feminine form of the Greek name Sophia, which is derived from the word "sophia," meaning "wisdom" or "knowledge."
In Greek mythology, Sophia was one of the daughters of the Titans Thaumas and Electra, representing the personification of wisdom. The name was popular among the ancient Greeks, who valued education and philosophy.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Sophya can be found in the works of ancient Greek writers and philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, who often referred to the concept of wisdom using the term "Sophia."
The name Sophya also has a connection to the Christian faith. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the Hagia Sophia, a renowned church in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), was dedicated to the Holy Wisdom of God. The church was built in the 6th century and served as an important religious and architectural landmark.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sophya. One of the earliest examples is Saint Sophya of Constantinople (d. 630 CE), a Christian martyr and saint who lived during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius.
Another prominent figure with the name Sophya was Sophya Alekseyevna (1657-1704), a Russian regent and the second wife of Tsar Fyodor III. She played a significant role in the transition of power between the Romanov and Naryshkin branches of the Russian royal family.
In the 19th century, Sophya Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya (1850-1891) was a renowned Russian mathematician and writer. She made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and was the first woman to hold a professorship in Europe.
Moving to the 20th century, Sophya Mikhailovna Tolstaya (1900-1957) was a famous Russian writer and memoirist, known for her works depicting life in pre-revolutionary Russia. She was the daughter of the renowned writer Leo Tolstoy.
Another notable figure with the name Sophya was Sophya Vassilievna Pichuzhkina (1901-1992), a Soviet athlete and gymnast who won multiple Olympic gold medals in the 1920s and 1930s, contributing to the success of the Soviet Union in international sports competitions.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Sophya, a name that carries a rich cultural and linguistic heritage, symbolizing wisdom and knowledge across various civilizations and time periods.
People
Sophya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sophya 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
Sophya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sophya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 614 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sophya 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 558,232 US residents.
Is Sophya a common name?
We classify Sophya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 620 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sophya most popular?
The single biggest year for Sophya was 2011, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sophya is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sophya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sophya 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.