Boy name · Japanese
Soma
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: brisk and true (depends on characters)Soma is a boy's name that comes from Japanese and means "brisk and true (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
- Meaning
- Brisk and true (depends on characters)
- Origin
- Japanese
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #9590 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Soma
As a boy's name, Soma comes from Japanese and means "brisk and true (depends on characters)". It is used in Japanese.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Soma in Japanese
In hiragana, Soma is そうま. In kanji it can be written several ways, and each choice gives the name its own meaning. These are spellings used for the name, with what each kanji means.
| Kanji | Reading | What the kanji mean |
|---|---|---|
| 颯真 | そうま | 颯 swift, sound of the wind + 真 true, reality |
| 綜馬 | そうま | 綜 synthesize + 馬 horse |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Soma on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Soma on 1 list.
“Brisk and true; meaning depends on kanji.”
From Japanese boy names, modern Japanese boy names
How popular is Soma?
- US rank in 2025
- #9,590
- 8 babies, 5 per million boys
- Best rank
- #6,428 in 2022
- 14 babies that year
- Babies since 2003
- At least 144
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 0 per million |
| 1980s | 0 per million |
| 1990s | 0 per million |
| 2000s | 1 per million |
| 2010s | 4 per million |
| 2020s | 6 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,710 | #7,473 | #8,727 | #10,649 | #8,633 | #7,507 | #6,428 | #10,653 | #7,686 | #9,590 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Soma
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- SoraThe sky (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- SotaBrisk and big (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- SafaPure (Arabic, unisex)
- SamiElevated, sublime (Arabic, boy)
- SebaPet form of Sebastián (Spanish, boy)
- SemName, renown (Hebrew, boy)
- SevaShort form of Vsevolod, rules over all (Slavic, boy)
- ShotaSoar and big (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- SimãoHe has heard (Hebrew, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- BreixoMost true (Latin, boy)
- JinTrue, genuine (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- JinhoTrue and great (depends on characters) (Korean, boy)
- MakiTrue hope, written 真希 (Japanese, girl)
- MamiTrue beauty (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- SadiqTrue, sincere (Arabic, boy)
- SeongjinAccomplish and true (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- ShinjiGenuine and officer, or true second son (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- SigtryggTrue victory (Old Norse, boy)
- TrygveTrustworthy, true (Old Norse, boy)
- YeongjinHero and true (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
Middle names for Soma
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- AltonTown at a river's source (Old English, boy)
- BurtonFortified town (Old English, boy)
- CedarFragrant evergreen tree (English, boy)
- ConstantineConstant, steadfast (Latin, boy)
- ElijahMy God is Yahweh (Hebrew, boy)
- GeorgeFarmer, earth worker (Greek, boy)
- LouisFamous warrior (Germanic, boy)
- WalterRuler of the army (Germanic, boy)
More boy names from Japanese
- KaiSea (Japanese, boy)
- AkihikoBright prince (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- AkihiroBright and wide (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- AkimitsuBright light (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- AkioBright man (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- AkiraBright, clear (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- AkitoBright person (depends on characters) (Japanese, boy)
- AmaneHeavenly sound (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- AoBlue-green (Japanese, boy)
- AoiHollyhock; blue (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- AotoBlue-green and the Dipper constellation (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- ArataFresh, new (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- AsahiMorning sun (Japanese, boy)
- AtsushiKind and honest (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- AyatoColor and person (depends on kanji) (Japanese, boy)
- AyumuTo walk (Japanese, boy)
- ChiakiA thousand autumns (Japanese, unisex)
- ChihiroA thousand fathoms (Japanese, unisex)
Soma: common questions
What does the name Soma mean?
Soma comes from Japanese and means "brisk and true (depends on characters)".
Is Soma a boy or girl name?
Soma is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 7 girls and 8 boys in the US were named Soma, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Soma come from?
Soma comes from Japanese and means "brisk and true (depends on characters)". Today it is used in Japanese.
How do you write Soma in Japanese?
Soma is written そうま in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 颯真 (swift + true) and 綜馬 (synthesize + horse). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Soma?
Soma ranked #9,590 in the US in 2025, with 8 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Soma?
Names spelled like Soma include Sora, Sota, Safa, Sami and Seba.
What middle names go with Soma?
Middle names that flow well with Soma include Alton, Burton, Cedar, Constantine and Elijah. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.