Sophia
Meaning of Sophia
Sophia comes from the Greek word sophia, meaning "wisdom," and entered English use through Latin. Name dictionaries agree on this derivation, and the name has been common in Europe since the Middle Ages, largely through devotion to saints who bore it. It is pronounced soh-FEE-uh in both British and American English.
Its best-known religious associations are Saint Sophia, a second-century martyr venerated with her daughters Faith, Hope and Charity, and the church of Hagia Sophia, meaning "Holy Wisdom," built in Constantinople, now Istanbul. Among well-known living namesakes, Sophia Loren, the Italian actress whose career has lasted more than seventy years, is perhaps the most famous; Sophia Bush is an American actress known for One Tree Hill and Chicago PD.
In the United States the name has risen steeply over the past four decades. In 1980 it was given to 641 girls and ranked 366th. It reached the top ten in 2006 and held first place from 2011 through 2013. In 2025 it ranked fifth, with 12,561 babies, so it remains one of the most frequently given girls' names in the country.
Pronunciation
British English
- Pronunced as soh-FEE-uh (/səʊˈfiə/)
American English
- Pronunced as soh-FEE-uh (/soʊˈfiə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Sophia
| Sophia Bush is an American actress known for One Tree Hill and Chicago PD, and for producing and starring in Good Sam. |
| Sophia Loren is an Italian actress whose more than 70 year career in Italy and the United States makes her one of the last surviving stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. |
| Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen was a leading 20th century Portuguese poet and writer, known for works on nature, justice, and classical themes, and for books for children as well as essays and plays. |
| Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake was an English physician and feminist who led the fight for women to access university education, became the first practising female doctor in Scotland, and helped found medical schools for women in London and Edinburgh. |
| Sophia Hayden was an American architect and the first woman to graduate from the four year architecture program at MIT. |
| Sophia Lillis is an American actress best known for playing Beverly Marsh in the It films and for starring in the Netflix series I Am Not Okay With This. |
| Sophia Anne Caruso is an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for originating Lydia Deetz in the Broadway musical Beetlejuice, a Theatre World Award winner who also played Sophie in the 2022 film The School for Good and Evil, with stage credits in Lazarus and The Nether. |
| Sophia Wallace is an American conceptual artist and photographer known for CLITERACY, a project exploring citizenship and body sovereignty through text, street installations, performance, and sculpture. |
