US Name Trends

Sophia

Greek sophia, “wisdom,” venerated as a personification before it was a personal name.

2012peak year
No. 1best rank (2011)
439,619babies since 1880
No. 5rank in 2025

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Sophia per year — peak 22,336▬ girls ▬ boys18801900192019401960198020002020

Greek for 'wisdom,' venerated in the great church of Hagia Sophia; it crowned the 2010s girls' list.

Sophia appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1997 to 2025. It has been the single most popular name for American girls in 3 different years, first in 2011 and most recently in 2013. Its biggest year was 2012, when 22,336 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 1 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 5 for girls. All told, 439,619 Americans have been given the name since 1880.

Related names

Other spellings on record: Sofia (186,931), Sofiya (1,195), Sophya (625) (total births since 1880)

Other names that share a story: Sophie

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By the decade

DecadeBirthsBest rank
1880s1,865No. 116
1890s2,522No. 144
1900s2,460No. 179
1910s5,237No. 225
1920s3,277No. 279
1930s1,117No. 553
1940s1,054No. 675
1950s1,578No. 595
1960s4,908No. 367
1970s4,581No. 385
1980s10,823No. 210
1990s24,503No. 53
2000s119,251No. 4
2010s181,174No. 1
2020s74,758No. 4

Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.

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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.