girl's name
Sophia
soh-FEE-uh
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 547,125
the United States
#5
2025 births
Sophia is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "wisdom," taken directly from the Greek word sophía. It carries deep religious significance as the name given to Holy Wisdom in early Christian theology, most famously in the sixth-century Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, whose name translates as "Holy Wisdom."
- Sophia is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2012, when 22,354 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 264 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Sophia over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,865 |
| 1890s | 2,522 |
| 1900s | 2,460 |
| 1910s | 5,242 |
| 1920s | 3,277 |
| 1930s | 1,122 |
| 1940s | 1,054 |
| 1950s | 1,578 |
| 1960s | 4,919 |
| 1970s | 4,586 |
| 1980s | 10,875 |
| 1990s | 24,537 |
| 2000s | 119,402 |
| 2010s | 181,369 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 74,811 |
What Sophia means
Sophia means "wisdom," from the Greek sophía, and unlike many names it is essentially the word itself rather than a name that later acquired the meaning. In early Christianity, Holy Wisdom was sometimes treated almost as a personified figure, giving the name a devotional weight beyond its plain meaning.
Where Sophia comes from
Sophia comes directly from the Greek noun sophía, meaning wisdom, with no intermediate name or borrowed root — one of the more transparent name etymologies in common use. The word carried philosophical weight in ancient Greek, most famously in "philosophia," love of wisdom. Early Christians in the Eastern Mediterranean adopted Sophia both as a given name and as a theological concept, Holy Wisdom, commemorated in the sixth-century Hagia Sophia built in Constantinople under the emperor Justinian I. The name spread through Christian Europe via saints named Sophia and remained especially common in Orthodox and Central European naming traditions before becoming widespread in English-speaking countries.
Sophia in use
Sophia is one of the few widely used given names that is also, unaltered, the abstract noun it means.
How popular is Sophia?
In 2025, Sophia was given to 12,572 babies in the United States, ranking #5 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Sophia is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Sophia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Sophia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Sophia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Sophia
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Sophia in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Sophia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Sophia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Sophia
What does the name Sophia mean?
Sophia means "wisdom," taken directly from the Greek word sophía.
What's the difference between Sophia and Sofia?
They are the same name — Sofia is the spelling used in most Romance and Slavic languages, while Sophia is the more common English form.
Why is Sophia connected to Hagia Sophia?
Hagia Sophia, built in Constantinople in the sixth century, means "Holy Wisdom" — the same root as the name Sophia.
How popular is the name Sophia?
In 2025, Sophia was given to 12,572 babies in the United States, ranking #5 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Sophia a girl's or a boy's name?
Sophia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Sophia?
Sophia has 3 syllables.
When was Sophia most popular?
Sophia peaked in 2012, when 22,354 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Sophia?
Sophia is usually shortened to Sophie, Fifi, Sia and Sophy.
Is Sophia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Sophia currently ranks #5 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.