Sona
Feminine · “gold”
Sona is an Armenian name and, quite separately, the Hindi word for gold. Two unrelated languages have arrived at the same four letters and both are in use.
How old is the name Sona?
Sona first appears in US birth records in 1923 — 102 years ago. The typical Sona alive today was born around 1992, making them about 33 years old. About 1,300 people named Sona are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sona most popular?
Sona peaked in 1936, reaching #2263 nationally. Today it ranks #3712, 1,449 places below that high. See the whole 1936 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Sona
Sona has been an Armenian women's name for generations and appears in Armenian folk song; its origin has not been established and a Persian borrowing is the usual guess. Separately, sona is the ordinary Hindi word for gold and one of the commonest endearments in Indian households — sona is what a great many parents call a small child. Both lines reach American records.
Meaningscholars disagree
gold, or of uncertain Armenian origin
Hindi and Urdu sona is gold, from Sanskrit suvarna, and is used as an affectionate term as well as a name. Armenian Sona is an established women's name whose own derivation is not settled — a Persian source has been proposed. The two are unrelated.
Pronouncing Sona
SOH-nah
Two syllables, first stressed. There is little variation.
Nicknames for Sona
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1923
- Most girls named
- 202540 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2263reached in 1936
- Change vs 2023
- +21.2%40 in 2025, from 33
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Sona in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Սոնա in Armenian — transliteration
- Sona in Hindi — related form
- Sona in Persian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Sonas among us
people named Sona are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 40,182 born in 2025 was named Sona
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Junice test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Sona's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Junice climbed just as high around 1920, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Junice's path sketches the road Sona is walking now.
Sona sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Sona is headed
Sona should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Sona beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Sona in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters and two syllables, readable at sight in a great many languages.
- It belongs to two living traditions at once, Armenian and Indian.
- The Hindi meaning is concrete and warm.
- In Hindi it is an everyday endearment for a small child, which some will find too soft for an adult.
- Sona, Sonia and Sonya are close enough to be confused constantly.
- The Armenian line has no settled meaning.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Sona
Feminine · #3712 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Sonas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,300 people named Sona are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sona in 2025?
- Sona ranks #3712 among US girl names in 2025, with 40 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Sona?
- About 1 in every 40,182 US girls born in 2025 was named Sona — 40 in all.
- Will my child share the name Sona with classmates?
- Sona will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Sona
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Monet#3712 · Barrett#3712 · October#3712 · Aubrianna#3712 · Mishka#3712 · Berkleigh#3712 · Zailey#3712 · Ora#3712
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Sona? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Sona and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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