Soumya
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "gentle", "pleasing", or "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 262 living Americans carry the first name Soumya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Soumya today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Soumya births was 2006 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Soumya. 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 Soumya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
262
~ 1 in 1,308,223 Americans
Peak year
2006
18 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2018 SSA rank
#17,820
Tracked since 1992
Census
Soumya in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,754 people with the first name Soumya, which placed it at #8,301 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
#8,301
National first-name rank
People counted
1.8K
1,754 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
94.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soumya
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Soumya is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Soumya 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 Soumya at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.6% · 1,659
- White3.7% · 65
- Black or African American0.9% · 16
- Two or more races0.5% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Soumya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Soumya from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 142 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Soumya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Soumya 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 Soumya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Soumyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Soumya
The name Soumya has its origins in the Sanskrit language, traced back to ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Soumya," which means "gentle," "soft," or "mild." This name is closely associated with Hindu culture and tradition.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Soumya can be found in ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Puranas. It was often used to describe deities or celestial beings who embodied qualities of gentleness and serenity. The name has been in use for centuries and has been popular among Hindu communities across various regions of the Indian subcontinent.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Soumya was a renowned astronomer and mathematician who lived in the 6th century CE. Soumya, also known as Varahamihira, made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy, astrology, and mathematics. His works, such as the "Brihat Samhita" and "Pancha Siddhantika," are considered seminal texts in the study of these subjects.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Soumya Ranjan Deva ruled over parts of the present-day Indian state of Assam. He was a king of the Pala dynasty and is remembered for his patronage of the arts, literature, and architecture. Several temples and monuments were constructed during his reign.
Another historical figure bearing the name Soumya was Soumya Swaminathan, a 16th-century Indian philosopher and spiritual leader. He was a prominent figure in the Bhakti movement and is known for his teachings on devotion and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.
In more recent times, Soumya Swaminathan, born in 1959, is a renowned Indian pediatrician and clinical scientist. She has held prestigious positions, including Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) and Deputy Director-General of the WHO. Her work has focused on addressing public health challenges, particularly in the areas of tuberculosis and childhood illnesses.
Soumya Seth, a contemporary Indian actress born in 1983, is also a notable bearer of this name. She has appeared in numerous Bollywood films and television shows, receiving critical acclaim for her performances.
While the name Soumya has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has gained popularity globally, transcending cultural and geographical boundaries. Its association with gentleness and serenity has made it an endearing choice for parents seeking a meaningful and harmonious name for their children.
People
Soumya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Soumya 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
Soumya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Soumya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 262 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Soumya 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 1,308,223 US residents.
Is Soumya a common name?
We classify Soumya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 266 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Soumya most popular?
The single biggest year for Soumya was 2006, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Soumya is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Soumya in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,754 people with the name Soumya, or 0.58 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,301 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 Soumya 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 Soumya?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Soumya leans strongly female. 1,490 people counted with this name were female (85.0%), compared with 263 male bearers (15.0%). 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 Soumya?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Soumya is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Soumya most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Soumya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (1,659 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 Soumya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Soumya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Soumya 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 Soumya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Soumya 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 Soumya 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 have Soumya as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.