Girl name · Greek
Sophia
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: wisdom, skillSophia is a girl's name that comes from Greek and means "wisdom, skill". It is used in English, German and Greek.
- Meaning
- Wisdom, skill
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #5 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Sophia
As a girl's name, Sophia comes from Greek and means "wisdom, skill". It is used in English, German and Greek.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Sophia on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Sophia on 3 lists.
“Greek for wisdom, a fitting choice”
From Nicknames for ChatGPT, human-sounding names for an AI assistant
“Wisdom; Greek. Germany's top girl name in 2025, per the GfdS”
From German girl names, popular German girl names
“Wisdom; Greek. Flows with short first names”
From Girl middle names, classic girl middle names
How popular is Sophia?
- US rank in 2025
- #5
- 12,561 babies, 7,815 per million girls
- Best rank
- #1 in 2011
- Most babies: 22,336 in 2012
- Babies since 1880
- At least 439,108
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 1,421 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 1,135 per million |
| 1900s | 840 per million |
| 1910s | 642 per million |
| 1920s | 274 per million |
| 1930s | 105 per million |
| 1940s | 73 per million |
| 1950s | 82 per million |
| 1960s | 269 per million |
| 1970s | 296 per million |
| 1980s | 630 per million |
| 1990s | 1,361 per million |
| 2000s | 6,454 per million |
| 2010s | 10,352 per million |
| 2020s | 7,684 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4 | #5 | #5 | #4 | #4 | #6 | #5 | #5 | #6 | #5 |
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.
Nicknames for Sophia
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Sophiecommon English nickname
Other forms of Sophia
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
Names with a similar meaning
- AthenaMeaning unknown; the Greek goddess of wisdom (Greek, girl)
- Ana SofíaGrace and wisdom (Hebrew and Greek, girl)
- Ana SophiaGrace, wisdom (Hebrew and Greek, girl)
- ArivuKnowledge, wisdom (Tamil, boy)
- EunjiGrace and wisdom (depends on characters) (Korean, girl)
- JianWisdom and peace (depends on hanja) (Korean, unisex)
- JieunWisdom and grace (depends on characters) (Korean, girl)
- JihunWisdom and merit (depends on characters) (Korean, boy)
- JihyeWisdom, insight (depends on characters) (Korean, girl)
- JiuWisdom and blessing (depends on hanja) (Korean, unisex)
Middle names for Sophia
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Greek
- AlexandraDefender of men (Greek, girl)
- ElenaForm of Helen, probably from Greek torch (Greek, girl)
- IrenePeace, tranquility (Greek, girl)
- ZoeLife, living (Greek, girl)
- AnastasiaResurrection, rising again (Greek, girl)
- ChristinaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- NicoleVictory of the people (Greek, girl)
- PetraRock, stone (Greek, girl)
- RitaA pearl (Greek, girl)
- AgnesPure, chaste (Greek, girl)
Sophia: common questions
What does the name Sophia mean?
Sophia comes from Greek and means "wisdom, skill".
Is Sophia a boy or girl name?
Sophia is mainly a girl's name. In 2025, 12,561 girls and 11 boys in the US were named Sophia, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are nicknames for Sophia?
Common nicknames for Sophia include Sophie.
How popular is the name Sophia?
Sophia ranked #5 in the US in 2025, with 12,561 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Sophia?
Forms of Sophia with the same meaning and origin include Sofia (English), Sônia (Portuguese) and Sophie (English).
What middle names go with Sophia?
Middle names that flow well with Sophia include Amber, Honor, Iris, Jade and Lucy. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.