Sorsha
A modern feminine name perhaps derived from Old French meaning "light brown".
Name Census estimates that about 62 living Americans carry the first name Sorsha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sorsha today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sorsha births was 1996 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sorsha. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sorsha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
62
~ 1 in 5,528,296 Americans
Peak year
1996
8 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,941
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Sorsha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sorsha from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 18 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Sorsha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sorsha 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 Sorsha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sorsha
The name Sorsha is a relatively modern invention, likely created in the 20th century. It does not appear to have any known origins or etymology from ancient languages or cultures.
Some sources suggest that Sorsha may be a variation or feminized form of the Irish name Soren or the Scandinavian name Soren/Søren, which is derived from the Greek name Severus, meaning "severe" or "strict". However, there is no definitive evidence to support this connection.
There are no known historical references to the name Sorsha in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. The earliest recorded examples of the name are relatively recent and likely stem from its use as a fictional character name in modern literature or media.
One of the earliest and most notable uses of the name Sorsha was for the character Sorsha in the 1988 fantasy film "Willow", directed by Ron Howard. In the film, Sorsha was portrayed by actress Joanne Whalley and was a powerful warrior and the daughter of the villainous Queen Bavmorda.
Another notable individual with the name Sorsha is Sorsha Lewis, a Canadian actress and voice artist born in 1981. She has provided voice work for various animated series and video games.
Sorsha Carey is a British actress and model born in 1992, known for her roles in television series such as "Casualty" and "Grantchester".
Sorsha Aghamalian is an American professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, born in 1976. She has competed in various independent wrestling promotions under the ring name "Sorsha".
Sorsha Heatley is a Scottish actress and model, born in 1991. She has appeared in several short films and television series.
While the name Sorsha may have gained some popularity in recent decades, particularly in certain regions or cultural contexts, it does not have a long or well-documented historical background compared to many other given names.
People
Sorsha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sorsha 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
Sorsha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sorsha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 62 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sorsha 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 5,528,296 US residents.
Is Sorsha a common name?
We classify Sorsha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 63 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sorsha most popular?
The single biggest year for Sorsha was 1996, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sorsha is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Sorsha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sorsha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sorsha 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 Sorsha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sorsha 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 Sorsha 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Sorsha?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.