Girl's name
Sofija
Say it soh-FEE-yah
Greek origin wisdom
3 syllables
Where Sofija is loved, common and rare
Loved in Slovenia. Common across Austria and one more place. Rare in four German cities, Switzerland, Poland and eight more places.
1 in 4,225 girls born in Ireland in 2025
Slovenia 4thAustria 92ndMunich 124th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 17 of the 40 official lists, among them Slovenia (4th), Austria (92nd) and Munich (124th).
Show all 17 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 4th 2025 | 152 | about 1 in 43 |
| Austria | 92nd 2025 | 76 | 1 in 470 |
| Munich city | 124th 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 419 |
| Switzerland | 175th 2025 | 41 | 1 in 829 |
| Poland | 209th 2025 | 35 | 1 in 3,423 |
| Norway | 337th 2025 | 10 | 1 in 2,180 |
| Berlin city | 385th 2023 | 8 | about 1 in 1,813 |
| Sweden | 558th 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 4,017 |
| Ireland | 608th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 4,225 |
| Cologne city | 630th 2023 | 1 | about 1 in 6,143 |
| Scotland | 632nd 2025 | 4 | 1 in 4,473 |
| Italy | 884th 2024 | 11 | 1 in 16,288 |
| England and Wales | 1512th 2025 | 20 | 1 in 12,664 |
| Ontario province | 1584th 2024 | 6 | about 1 in 9,078 |
| France | 3366th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 57,359 |
| Croatia | 31st 2025 | 127 | rank only |
| Bonn city | 382nd 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 3,015 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Leipzig, Rostock, Spain, Catalonia, Hungary and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30) and Argentina (top 20).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Statistični urad Republike Slovenije (SURS), SiStat (Slovenia); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Ministarstvo pravosuđa, uprave i digitalne transformacije (Matica rođenih) (Croatia); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Sofija is a form of Sophia, which goes back to the Ancient Greek sophía, 'wisdom'. It was first recorded as a Latvian given name in 1508, and it is used across much of eastern and southern Europe.
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Three syllables, said soh-FEE-yah, with the stress in the middle. The j is pronounced like an English y. Sophia and Sophie are the familiar western forms.
It is among the very top names in Slovenia and ranks well in Croatia and Austria. English-speaking countries use it rarely, with small numbers in Ireland, Scotland, and England and Wales. French records show it reaching its highest point so far in 2025, and it is rising in more regions than it is falling, so it remains a strong current choice in its home region.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- soh-FEE-yah, 3 syllables
- Meaning
wisdom
- Origin
- Greek
Etymology
First recorded as a given name of Latvians in 1508. Ultimately from Ancient Greek σοφία (sophía, “wisdom”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 6 of 12 regions, falling in 2.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 975 | 1258 | 1083 | 996 | 1618 | 1569 | 1245 | 2201 | 1302 | 1512 |
| Northern Ireland | 353 | 424 | 281 | 446 | ||||||
| Ireland | 390 | 430 | 629 | 457 | 495 | 464 | 502 | 625 | 898 | 608 |
| Ontario | 1354 | 1403 | 1240 | 1274 | 1584 | |||||
| France | 3683 | 3605 | 3608 | 3521 | 3443 | 3366 | ||||
| The Netherlands | 947 | |||||||||
| Austria | 166 | 119 | 118 | 135 | 108 | 103 | 125 | 97 | 124 | 92 |
| Switzerland | 373 | 238 | 342 | 270 | 229 | 245 | 220 | 197 | 198 | 175 |
| Berlin | 740 | 803 | 432 | 574 | 782 | 654 | 468 | 385 | ||
| Munich | 239 | 238 | 142 | 135 | 200 | 127 | 124 | |||
| Norway | 213 | 323 | 346 | 270 | 302 | 284 | 370 | 302 | 314 | 337 |
| Sweden | 549 | 548 | 727 | 550 | 900 | 527 | 558 | |||
| Italy | 780 | 1132 | 839 | 884 | ||||||
| Poland | 284 | 283 | 243 | 206 | 245 | 220 | 221 | 224 | 264 | 209 |
| Slovenia | 21 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
| Croatia | 35 | 44 | 31 |
England and Wales, 2003 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1512 | 20 | 7.9 |
| 2024 | 1302 | 25 | 9.7 |
| 2023 | 2201 | 12 | 4.7 |
| 2022 | 1245 | 26 | 9.9 |
| 2021 | 1569 | 19 | 6.9 |
| 2020 | 1618 | 18 | 6.7 |
| 2019 | 996 | 35 | 12.5 |
| 2018 | 1083 | 32 | 11.1 |
| 2017 | 1258 | 27 | 9.0 |
| 2016 | 975 | 37 | 12.0 |
| 2015 | 871 | 42 | 13.6 |
| 2014 | 859 | 44 | 14.3 |
| 2013 | 1253 | 27 | 8.8 |
| 2012 | 1210 | 27 | 8.4 |
| 2011 | 1149 | 29 | 9.0 |
| 2010 | 1993 | 13 | 4.0 |
| 2009 | 3031 | 7 | 2.2 |
| 2008 | 1815 | 14 | 4.4 |
| 2007 | 4294 | 4 | 1.3 |
| 2006 | 1983 | 11 | 3.7 |
| 2005 | 3382 | 5 | 1.7 |
| 2003 | 4373 | 3 | 1.1 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Sofija in France since 1925 were born in or after 2014. First recorded in 1971. Her peak year there: 2025, at 1.7 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Sofija per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Sofija
1 in 4,225 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Sofija.
1 in 7,449 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Sofija.
1 in 36,183 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Sofija.
1 in 3,521 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Sofija.
1 in 3,018 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Sofija.
1 in 4,690 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Sofija.
1 in 6,332 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Sofija.
1 in 1,835 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Sofija.
1 in 1,218 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Sofija.
1 in 1,408 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Sofija.
Middle names for Sofija
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Sofija Charlotte
3-2 beats · initials SC
Changes the beat after Sofija: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Sofija Grace
3-1 beats · initials SG
Changes the beat after Sofija: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Sofija Olivia
3-4 beats · initials SO · Sofija slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Sofija: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables. Sofija slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 102 in Ireland
Sofija Mia
3-2 beats · initials SM
Changes the beat after Sofija: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Sofija Ruby
3-2 beats · initials SR
Changes the beat after Sofija: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Sofija Rose
3-1 beats · initials SR
Changes the beat after Sofija: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 173 in Northern Ireland
Sofija Nora
3-2 beats · initials SN
Changes the beat after Sofija: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 95 in Northern Ireland
Sofija Anna
3-2 beats · initials SA · Sofija slides into Anna: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Sofija: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables. Sofija slides into Anna: vowel meets vowel.
Same style as Sofija
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 3,521 in Ireland
88% alike: moves with Sofija across countries and decades.
1 in 960 in Ireland
88% alike: moves with Sofija across countries and decades.
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
87% alike: moves with Sofija across countries and decades.
1 in 7,042 in Ireland
85% alike: moves with Sofija across countries and decades.
1 in 7,449 in England and Wales
85% alike: moves with Sofija across countries and decades.
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
84% alike: moves with Sofija across countries and decades.
1 in 5,282 in Ireland
84% alike: moves with Sofija across countries and decades.
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
84% alike: moves with Sofija across countries and decades.
Questions about Sofija
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Sofija?
Her best rank is No. 4 in Slovenia in 2025, about 1 in 43 girls. She is in the published lists of 17 of our 40 regions.
What does Sofija mean?
Wiktionary glosses Sofija as "wisdom".
How do you pronounce Sofija?
soh-FEE-yah, with 3 syllables.
Is Sofija getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 6 of 12 regions, falling in 2.
Which sister names go with Sofija?
The deck's top five sisters for Sofija: Nika, Teodora, Larisa, Aleksandra and Melisa. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.