Sonya Thomas
There are approximately 136 people named Sonya Thomas living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 2,520,252 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Sonya with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Thomas. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
136
1 in 2,520,252
Named Sonya
55K
Alive today
Named Thomas
842K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 55K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1967
Average age: 51
Top Census group: White (51.3%)
Estimated bearers: 842K
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #16
Per 100K: 245.68
Top ancestry: White (49.7%)
First name trend
Sonya: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Sonya. The peak year was 1967 with 2,987 births. The average person named Sonya today is 51 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sonya
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Sonya, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 51.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sonya described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Sonya at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White51.3% · 29,166
- Black or African American27.7% · 15,759
- Hispanic or Latino12.2% · 6,931
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,443
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 1,855
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 730
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Thomas surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Thomas, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 49.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Thomas described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Thomas at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White49.7% · 365,101
- Black or African American37.8% · 277,281
- Two or more races4.8% · 34,975
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 26,220
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 23,380
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 7,388
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Sonya has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0162% of the US population, based on 55,452 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Sonya right now.
The surname Thomas appears at a rate of 245.68 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.2457%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 136 people with the full name Sonya Thomas. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Sonya
Related
Other people with the surname Thomas
FAQ
Sonya Thomas: questions and answers
How many people are named Sonya Thomas?
We estimate approximately 136 people in the United States share the full name Sonya Thomas. That works out to about 1 in 2,520,252 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0162%) with the surname frequency (245.68 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Sonya Thomas?
We classify Sonya Thomas as "Very Rare". About 1 in 2,520,252 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Sonya a male or female name?
Sonya is predominantly female. Out of 65,861 total SSA registrations, 0.3% were male and 99.7% were female. See the full Sonya profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people have the full name Sonya Thomas?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Sonya Thomas at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.