Sofija
Of Greek origin, meaning "wisdom".
Name Census estimates that about 351 living Americans carry the first name Sofija. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sofija today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sofija births was 2019 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sofija. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Sofija with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
351
~ 1 in 976,508 Americans
Peak year
2019
22 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,868
Tracked since 1999
Census
Sofija in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 532 people with the first name Sofija, which placed it at #19,726 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#19,726
National first-name rank
People counted
532
532 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
91.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sofija
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sofija is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sofija described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Sofija at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 488
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 24
- Two or more races3.0% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Popularity
Sofija: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sofija from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 166 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sofija remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sofija 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 Sofija during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sofijas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sofija
Sofija is a feminine given name with its origins rooted in the Greek language. The name is derived from the word "sophia," which translates to "wisdom" in English. It is believed to have first emerged during the classical period of ancient Greece, when the concept of wisdom and knowledge was highly revered.
The name Sofija gained prominence in the Byzantine Empire, where it was embraced by the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. It was often bestowed upon girls born into noble or religious families, symbolizing the desire for them to grow up possessing wisdom and virtue.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sofija can be found in the Hagia Sophia, the famed cathedral in Istanbul, which was initially constructed in the 6th century AD. The name was likely chosen for the church to represent the divine wisdom and knowledge associated with the Christian faith.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Sofija was popular across Eastern Europe, particularly in regions with strong Orthodox Christian influences, such as Russia, Bulgaria, and Serbia. Some notable historical figures bearing the name include Saint Sofija of Suzdal (born around 1140), a Russian princess renowned for her piety and charitable works.
During the Renaissance period, the name Sofija experienced a resurgence in popularity, especially among the intellectual and artistic circles of Italy. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625), an Italian Renaissance painter celebrated for her innovative self-portraits and her role in promoting the acceptance of women in the arts.
In the 18th century, the name Sofija gained recognition in the literary world with the works of the Russian writer Sofija Khvoshchinskaya (1824-1865), who wrote under the pen name Ivan Veselovsky. Her novels and short stories explored the social and political issues of her time, earning her a place among the most influential Russian authors of the 19th century.
Another notable figure was Princess Sofija of Prussia (1870-1932), who married the Greek prince and later King Constantine I. As the Queen of Greece, she played a significant role in shaping the country's cultural and social landscape during the early 20th century.
Throughout history, the name Sofija has been associated with wisdom, intellect, and artistic expression, reflecting the various cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped its meaning and popularity over the centuries.
People
Sofija + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sofija 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
Sofija: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sofija?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 351 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sofija 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 976,508 US residents.
Is Sofija a common name?
We classify Sofija as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 354 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sofija most popular?
The single biggest year for Sofija was 2019, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sofija is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sofija in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 532 people with the name Sofija, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,726 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Sofija in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sofija?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sofija appears almost entirely female. Of the 540 people counted with this name, 99.1% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sofija?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sofija is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Sofija most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Sofija in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (488 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sofija in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sofija a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sofija 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.
Is Sofija still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sofija in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sofija can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are called Sofija?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.