Total births
39,513
Girls' name · since 1906
Sonja
Sonja has 39,513 recorded births since 1906 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1968 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2933
- among girls today
- 39,513
- born since 1906
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 83%
- more common than other girls
39,513 babies have been named Sonja since 1906, making it today's #2933 girls' name.
Sonja has 39,513 recorded births among girls since 1906, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2933 as of the latest data, more common than 83% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1906 to 2025.
- #2933 among girls today
- 39,513 born since 1906
- 1960s peak decade
- 83% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sonja is currently the #2933 girls' name in America, more common than 83% of girls - 39,513 born since 1906, peaking in the 1960s.
- #2933
- among girls today
- 39,513
- born since 1906
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 83%
- more common than other girls
Sonja vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2933
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 83% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Sonja was born in this single decade.
1968
Single peak year
1,339 babies were named Sonja in 1968 - its busiest year on record.
How Sonja compares
39,513 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sonja's all-time total is 103x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sonja | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 39,513 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,339 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sonja's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Sonja's SSA record in two at 1969 and the more recent half accounts for 42% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 58%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1906, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1968 peak of 1,339, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Sonja at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1968
Current rank
#2,933
Active since
1906
Sonja popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1906–2025
- Peak year (1968)
- 1,339
- Annual births at peak, across 120 years of records
Sonja popularity over time - boys
44 total births recorded since 1938 (Sonja as boys' name)
Sonja by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Sonja's strongest decade.
10,962 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Sonja births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 6
1900s
6 births
- 1910s 89
1910s
89 births
- 1920s 231
1920s
231 births
- 1930s 3,143
1930s
3,143 births
- 1940s
1940s
5,081 births
- 1950s
1950s
4,619 births
- 1960s
1960s
10,962 births
- 1970s
1970s
7,962 births
- 1980s 3,240
1980s
3,240 births
- 1990s 1,695
1990s
1,695 births
- 2000s 1,187
2000s
1,187 births
- 2010s 956
2010s
956 births
- 2020s 342
2020s
342 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 10,962 births (28% of all-time use).
How Sonja compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Sonja's total volume
Sonja vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sonja by state
Where Sonja concentrates geographically, total births since 1906
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,607 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,387 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 1,848 | 4.7% |
| #4 | New York | | 1,828 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 1,513 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Minnesota | | 1,451 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Florida | | 1,396 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 1,387 | 3.5% |
California share of Sonja's total US births 9.1%
Even split
3,607 of 39,513 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sonja appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sonja? ▼
Sonja has been given to 39,513 babies in the U.S. since 1906, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #2933 as of the latest data. 1,339 babies were born in 1968, its single highest year.
When was Sonja most popular? ▼
Sonja was most popular in the 1960s decade with 10,962 total births. The single peak year was 1968.
Where is Sonja most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sonja are California (3,607 births), Texas (2,387 births), Illinois (1,848 births).
How long has the name Sonja been used? ▼
Sonja has been recorded in Social Security data since 1906, spanning 120 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Sonja? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sonia, Sonya, Sondra, Sonora, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sonja's data
- Sonja's decade-level peak was the 1960s (10,962 total births); usage has since declined to 342 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Sonjas (3,607 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sonja
Nearby Names Like Sonja
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sonja
Sonia Girl
#1352 66,747 births
Sonya Girl
#1914 65,772 births
Sondra Girl
#12228 27,074 births
Sonora Girl
#2899 1,444 births
Sona Girl
#4047 1,443 births
Compare Sonja side by side: Sonja vs Sonia Sonja vs Sonya Sonja vs Sondra
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sonja
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1906–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sonja: #2933 Girls' Name - 39,513 Births, Peak 1968." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sonja. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sonja draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.