Sonia (name)
Encyclopedia
Sonia is a feminine given name
in many areas of the world including the West
, Russia
, Iran
, Pakistan
and India
. The name is derived from "Sophia
", a Greek name meaning wisdom.
Sonia and its variant spellings Sonja and Sonya are Russian
variations on Sophia. The name was popularised by a 1917 bestselling novel, Sonia by Stephen McKenna.
In Hindi, the name means 'golden', derived from सोना sonā 'gold', from Sanskrit सुवर्ण suvarṇa (su- 'good' + varṇa 'color').
Sonya and its variations are occasionally found as surname
s in England
and the American
eastern seaboard.
Sonia has many variant spellings and related name forms, among them Sonja, Sonje, Sonni, Sonnie, Sonnjea, and Sonya. Sonya is variant of Sophia (Greek) which has 18 variant forms: Saffi, Safiye, Sofia, Sofie, Soficita, Sofka, Sofy, Sofya, Sonja, Sonnie, Sonya, Sophey, Sophie, Sophy, Zofia, Zofi, Žofia, Zofya, and Zosia.
Slavic countries spell the name with the letter "j": Sonja, while many English speaking countries spell it with "i" or "y": Sonia or Sonya. These are only variations on the same name.
where they were anciently seated as Lords of the Manor. Some of the first American settlers named Sonya or some of its variants migrated in the mid-17th century to the eastern seaboard. Migrants eventually settled in Newfoundland, Maine
, Virginia
, The Carolinas
, and the islands.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
in many areas of the world including the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The name is derived from "Sophia
Sophia (name)
Sophia is a female name derived from σοφία, the Greek word for "Wisdom." Sophie is from the French form. Sophia has been a popular name throughout the western world...
", a Greek name meaning wisdom.
Sonia and its variant spellings Sonja and Sonya are Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
variations on Sophia. The name was popularised by a 1917 bestselling novel, Sonia by Stephen McKenna.
In Hindi, the name means 'golden', derived from सोना sonā 'gold', from Sanskrit सुवर्ण suvarṇa (su- 'good' + varṇa 'color').
Sonya and its variations are occasionally found as surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the American
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
eastern seaboard.
First name
The name appears in multiple languages including Bengali, Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, English, Finnish, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, and Ukrainian.Sonia has many variant spellings and related name forms, among them Sonja, Sonje, Sonni, Sonnie, Sonnjea, and Sonya. Sonya is variant of Sophia (Greek) which has 18 variant forms: Saffi, Safiye, Sofia, Sofie, Soficita, Sofka, Sofy, Sofya, Sonja, Sonnie, Sonya, Sophey, Sophie, Sophy, Zofia, Zofi, Žofia, Zofya, and Zosia.
Slavic countries spell the name with the letter "j": Sonja, while many English speaking countries spell it with "i" or "y": Sonia or Sonya. These are only variations on the same name.
As a last name in the United States
Sonya is a rare surname in the United States, and was not ranked for people of any age in publications of results of the 1990 Census. The spelling Sonya is of English descent. Spelling variations include: Sonning, Sonnin, Sonin, Soning, Sunning, Sunin, Souning, Sounin, Sonninges, Somin, Somings, and many more. The surname Sonya was first located in BerkshireBerkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
where they were anciently seated as Lords of the Manor. Some of the first American settlers named Sonya or some of its variants migrated in the mid-17th century to the eastern seaboard. Migrants eventually settled in Newfoundland, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, The Carolinas
The Carolinas
The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. Together, the two states + have a population of 13,942,126. "Carolina" would be the fifth most populous state behind California, Texas, New York, and Florida...
, and the islands.
Notable people with this name
- Sonja, Queen of Norway
- Sonia (Sonia Evans), English pop singer
- SONiASONIASONIA is the acronym for Sterling OverNight Index Average, the reference rate for overnight unsecured transactions in the Sterling market...
(Sonia Rutstein), American singer-songwriter - Sonia, alias of Omaira Rojas CabreraOmaira Rojas CabreraAnayibe Rojas Valderrama, also known as Omaira Rojas Cabrera born in the Colombian town of Palestina, Huila Department, on June 16, 1967...
, FARC-EP guerrilla member - Sonja BakićSonja BakicSonja Bakić is a Serbian singer and songwriter. She reached fame as a contestant in television show Operacija trijumf, which was broadcast in five countries , and made Sonja a regional music superstar.-Early life:Sonja Bakić was...
, Serbian pop/rock singer - Sônia BragaSônia BragaSônia Maria Campos Braga is a Brazilian actress. She has been nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award.-Early life:...
, Brazilian actress - Sonja Christopher, reality television star
- Sonia GandhiSonia GandhiSonia Gandhi is an Italian-born Indian politician and the President of the Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties of India. She is the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi...
, President of the Indian National Congress - Sonya HartnettSonya HartnettSonya Hartnett is an Australian author.Hartnett writes fiction variously for children, young adults and adults and has won numerous prizes and awards, having been described as "the finest Australian writer of her generation". She wrote her first novel, Trouble All the Way, at the age of thirteen...
, Australian writer - Sonja HenieSonja HenieSonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
(1912-1969), Norwegian figure skater and actress - Sonia de IgnacioSonia de IgnacioSonia de Ignacio-Simo Casas is a former female field hockey player from Spain, who represented her native country twice at the Olympic Games: 1996 and 2000. She played club hockey for CD Terrassa in Catalunya....
, Spanish field hockey player - Sonja Elen Kisa, Canadian linguist
- Sonia McMahonSonia McMahonSonia McMahon, known from 1977 as Lady McMahon , was the wife of Sir William McMahon, Prime Minister of Australia, and a philanthropist and Sydney socialite.-Biography:...
(1932-2010), Australian socialite, widow of William McMahon - Sonia O'SullivanSonia O'SullivanSonia O'Sullivan in Cobh, County Cork. She began her running career in Ballymore Running Club which is located in the eastern side of Cobh Town. She was one of the world's leading female 5000 m runners for most of the 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century...
, Irish athlete - Sonia RykielSonia RykielSonia Rykiel née Flis is a French fashion designer.Ethnically a Polish-Romanian Jew, Sonia Rykiel was born in Neuilly a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, the eldest of five daughters of a Polish mother and a Romanian father. At the age of 17, she was employed to dress the window...
, French designer - Sonia SotomayorSonia SotomayorSonia Maria Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice....
, Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United StatesSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases... - Sonya WalgerSonya WalgerSonya Walger is an English actress known for her roles in the ABC series Lost as Penelope "Penny" Widmore, and as Olivia Benford on ABC's FlashForward.-Education:...
, actress best known as LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
s Penny WidmorePenny WidmorePenelope "Penny" Widmore is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Sonya Walger. Penny is introduced in the last episode of the second season of Lost as the long-lost lover of Desmond Hume as well as the daughter of British tycoon and antagonist Charles Widmore...
Fictional characters
- Red SonjaRed SonjaRed Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, is a fictional character, a high fantasy sword and sorcery heroine created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, and loosely based on Red Sonya of Rogatino in Robert E. Howard's 1934 short story "The Shadow of the Vulture"...
, archetypal fierce and beautiful barbarian - Sonja from the Advance WarsAdvance WarsAdvance Wars, known in Japan as is a turn-based tactics video game developed for the Game Boy Advance by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It was released in North America on September 10, 2001, but put on hold in Japan and Europe due to the following day's terrorist attacks in the USA...
series of video games - Sonja from the UnderworldUnderworld (film series)Underworld is a series of vampire/werewolf films directed by Len Wiseman and Patrick Tatopoulos. The first film, Underworld, was released in 2003, and the second film, Underworld: Evolution, was released in 2006. A prequel, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, was released on January 23, 2009...
series of vampire films - Sonya Aragon, a stripper in in the episode "Kennedy and HeidiKennedy and Heidi"Kennedy and Heidi" is the eighteenth episode of the two-part sixth season—the sixth episode of the second part—of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos and the show's eighty-third overall episode. It was written by Matthew Weiner and series creator and showrunner David Chase,...
" of The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads... - Sonya BladeSonya BladeSonya Blade is a player character from the Mortal Kombat series. She is portrayed in the games as an officer of the United States Special Forces.-In video games:...
from the Mortal Kombat series of video games from the Baby, Please Kill Me!Baby, Please Kill Me!is a Japanese four-panel manga series written and illustrated by Kadzuho about the school lives of a female assassin, her dimwitted friend, and a kunoichi...
of Japanese four-panel manga - Sonia FowlerSonia FowlerSonia Ann Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on 21 December 1993 and she made her final appearance on 2 February 2007...
in EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End... - Sonia the Hedgehog in Sonic Underground
- Sonya Rostova in War and PeaceWar and PeaceWar and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature...
by Leo TolstoyLeo TolstoyLev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist... - Sonya Marmeladova in Crime and PunishmentCrime and PunishmentCrime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Sonya Serebryakova in Uncle VanyaUncle VanyaUncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
by Anton ChekhovAnton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics... - Sonia Strumm rock star in the Mega Man Star ForceMega Man Star ForceMega Man Star Force, known in Japan as , is a Mega Man action role-playing video game published and developed by Capcom for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console...
series of video games