Girls' name · since 1880
Sophia
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 439,108 babies named Sophia, peaking in 2012. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #82 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 439,108
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
439,108 babies have been named Sophia since 1880, making it today's #5 girls' name.
Sophia has 439,108 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5 as of the latest data, more common than 99.9% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #82 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #5 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 439,108 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sophia ranks #82 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 439,108 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #82 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 439,108
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Sophia's 439,108 recorded births place it above 99.88% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Sophia compares
439,108 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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
Sophia's all-time total is 1,168x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sophia | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 439,108 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 22,336 | 21 | 19,840 |
Sophia's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sophia splits its recorded history at 1953: 96% of all births land in the more recent half, 4% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1942 (81 births) -- compare that against the 2012 peak of 22,336 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sophia popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2012)
- 22,336
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sophia popularity over time - boys
511 total births recorded since 1917 (Sophia as boys' name)
Sophia by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (181,174 births, 41% of the file).
2010s was Sophia's strongest decade.
181,174 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Sophia births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,865
1880s
1,865 births
- 1890s 2,522
1890s
2,522 births
- 1900s 2,460
1900s
2,460 births
- 1910s 5,237
1910s
5,237 births
- 1920s 3,277
1920s
3,277 births
- 1930s 1,117
1930s
1,117 births
- 1940s 1,054
1940s
1,054 births
- 1950s 1,578
1950s
1,578 births
- 1960s 4,908
1960s
4,908 births
- 1970s 4,581
1970s
4,581 births
- 1980s 10,823
1980s
10,823 births
- 1990s 24,503
1990s
24,503 births
- 2000s
2000s
119,251 births
- 2010s
2010s
181,174 births
- 2020s
2020s
74,758 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 181,174 births (41% of all-time use).
How Sophia 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 Sophia's total volume
Sophia by state
Where Sophia concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 68,267 | 15.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 40,939 | 9.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 30,886 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Florida | | 27,757 | 6.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 18,483 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 17,833 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 15,530 | 3.5% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 13,823 | 3.1% |
68,267 of 439,108 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sophia appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where does Sophia sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sophia most popular? ▼
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What to do with Sophia's data
- Sophia's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (181,174 total births) through the 2020s (74,758) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Sophias (68,267 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sophia
Nearby Names Like Sophia
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sophia
Compare Sophia side by side: Sophia vs Sophie Sophia vs Sophronia Sophia vs Sophya
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sophia
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sophia: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2012)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Sophia 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 August 2026.