Given name & surname
Soraya
“princess”
Soraya is a variant of Sarah. Sarah means “princess” in Hebrew.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Soraya is a variant of Sarah. Sarah means “princess” in Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Soraya is a variant of Sarah. Sarah comes from Hebrew biblical tradition and is the name given to Abraham’s wife in Genesis.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Soraya is a variant of Sarah. The shared background comes through Sarah: In the biblical account, Sarai is renamed Sarah as part of a blessing. Later Irish and Scottish uses sometimes adopted Sarah in place of local Gaelic names, a separate practice from its Hebrew origin.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1955. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Soraya is a variant of Sarah. The history of Sarah gives this family its wider story. Sarah is remembered in Genesis as Abraham’s wife and Isaac’s mother. Sarah’s later local adaptations included use for Sorcha in Ireland and Mor in Scotland, showing how an established biblical name could serve different naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Soraya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,811
- 0 boys · 6,811 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 313 babies
- 2025
- 313
- #868 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +36%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 313 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 868 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 35.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (45). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,619 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Soraya’s family of names
Soraya has a related form in Sarah. In English usage, Soraya has a related form in Surayya. In English usage, Soraya has a related form in SORAYYA.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Soraya has relatives in 3 languages.
5 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Soraya
- Soraya Esfandiary-BakhtiaryQueen consort of Iran from 1951 to 19581932–2001
- Soraya ArnelasSpanish singer, songwriter, actress and modelborn 1982
- Soraya TarziPrincess Consort (1919-1926), later Queen Consort of King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan (1926-1929)1899–1968
- Soraya HaddadAlgerian judokaborn 1984
- Soraya JiménezMexican weightlifter (1977–2013)
- Soraya Postformer Swedish MEP (2014–2019)born 1956
- SorayaColombian-American singer-songwriter1969–2006
- Soraya PaladinItalian cyclistborn 1993
- Soraya QasemiIranian actressborn 1940
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Soraya, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Zara
“princess”
>99% girls
Sorchyah
“princess”
—
Sorchya
“princess”
—
Lizzy
“God is my oath” · “My God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Sorchiya
“princess”
—
Ellie
“from a foreign land” · “God is my oath”
>99% girls
Sadie
“princess; lady” · “princess”
>99% girls
Saarrah
“princess”
—