Given name & surname
Sofia
“wisdom”·“having great wisdom and foresight”
In German use, Sofia has a related form in Sophia. Sophia means “wisdom” in Greek. Sofia is a variant of Sophie. One Greek interpretation is “having great wisdom and foresight.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Sofia has a related form in Sophia. Sophia means “wisdom” in Greek. Sofia is a variant of Sophie. One Greek interpretation is “having great wisdom and foresight.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In German use, Sofia has a related form in Sophia. Sophia has Greek linguistic roots and later spread into several European naming traditions. Sofia is a variant of Sophie. An origin associated with Sophie is French.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Slovak usage, Sofia developed from Σοφία. In German use, Sofia has a related form in Sophia. The shared background comes through Sophia: Sophia uses the Greek noun sophia. That word also appears in the phrase Hagia Sophia, meaning “holy wisdom.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In German use, Sofia has a related form in Sophia. The history of Sophia gives this family its wider story. Sophia became popular in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Sophia also has literary and screen associations, including the heroine of Tom Jones and the actress Sophia Loren.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Sofia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 186,931
- 187 boys · 186,744 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 9,711 babies
- 2025
- 8,261
- #9 for girls · #8,819 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8,252 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 9 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 2.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9,702 in 2015. It also appeared in 9 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (1,339). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 151,654 as a first name in 2020; 1,046 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Sofia’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Sofia has a short form in Sofi. Sofia developed from Sophia. Sofia has a related form in Sophie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Sofia has relatives in 19 languages.
16 related names in 19 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Sophiavariant · Tagalog, German
- Sophievariant · French, Swedish
- Sofievariant · Swedish, Czech
- Fiadiminutive · Swedish
- Sofishort form · Swedish
- Sohvivariant · Estonian
- Viivipet form · Finnish
- Sôniavariant · Portuguese
Show 1 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 19
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Sofia
- Sophia LorenItalian actress (born 1934)
- Sofia RotaruUkrainian singer, songwriter and actressborn 1947
- Sofia CoppolaAmerican filmmaker (born 1971)
- Queen Sofía of Spainqueen consort of Spain from 1975 to 2014born 1938
- Sofia CarsonAmerican singer, actress, dancer and songwriterborn 1993
- Sofia GubaidulinaSoviet and Russian composer (1931–2025)
- Sophia of PrussiaQueen consort of Greece (1870–1932)
- Sofia KeninRussian-American tennis playerborn 1998
- Sofia BoutellaAlgerian actressborn 1982
Characters named Sofia: Sofia Lugo (Modelo), Sofia Curtis (fictional character), Sofia Falcone (DC Comics character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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