Sophia (given name)

Sophia
Gender	feminine
Origin
Word/name	Greek
Derivation	from Greek Σοφία, Sophía
Meaning	Wisdom
Region of origin	Byzantine Empire
Other names
Alternative spelling	Sofia
Variant form(s)	Sophie, Sophy
Related names	Sofija, Sofiya, Sofya, Sophus
See also	Sonia

Sophia, also spelled Sofia, is a feminine given name, from Greek Σοφία, Sophía, "Wisdom". Other forms include Sophie, Sophy, and Sofie. The given name is first recorded in the beginning of the 4th century.^[2] It is a common female name in the Eastern Orthodox countries. It became very popular in the West beginning in the later 1990s and became one of the most popularly given girls' names in the Western world in the first decades of the 21st century.

Popularity

Sophia was known as the personification of wisdom by early Christians and Saint Sophia is also an early Christian martyr. Both associations contributed to the usage of the name. The name was comparatively common in continental Europe in the medieval and early modern period. It was popularized in Britain by the German House of Hanover in the 18th century. It was repeatedly popularised among the wider population, by the name of a character in the novel Tom Jones (1794) by Henry Fielding, in The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith, and in the 1960s by Italian actress Sophia Loren (b. 1934).

Sophia was comparatively popular in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century; its use declined in the 1920s to 1950s; it became again moderately popular during the 1960s to 1980s.

During the 1990s to the 2010s, the popularity of the name rose dramatically in many countries throughout the western world. Suggested influences for this trend include Sofía Vergara and Sofia Coppola (popular from the late 1990s) and Sofia Hellqvist (popular from the 2000s).^[3] Sophia and variants of the name remain among the most currently popularly given names for girls in countries across Europe as well as countries in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and others.^[4]

In 2022, Sophia was the fifth most popular name given to girls in Canada, while Sofia was 13th.^[5]

Name variants

Greek Σοφία was adopted without significant phonological changes into numerous languages, as Sophia (German, and thence English) and Sofia (Romance languages, and thence also to Germanic languages and Finnish, etc.). The spelling Soffia is Icelandic and Welsh. Hungarian has Zsófia. Modern Spanish uses the acute diacritic, Sofía. South and East Slavic and Baltic languages have Sofija (Софија), Sofiya (София) and Sofya (Софья). West Slavic (Polish and Czech-Slovak) introduced a voiced sibilant, Zofia, Žofia, Žofie.

French has the (disyllabic) hypocoristic Sophie, which was also introduced in German, Dutch/Flemish, English and Scandinavian in the spelling Sofie and Sophy. A Dutch hypocoristic is Sofieke. Russian has the hypocoristic Соня (Sonya), which in the late 19th century was introduced to Western languages, in the spellings Sonya, Sonia and Sonja, via characters with this name in the novels Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1866, English translation 1885) and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1869, English translation 1886).

Turkish Safiye is from the unrelated Arabic Safiyya (صفية "pure").

Persian Sofia (Persian: صوفیا) is from unrelated Sufi, a sect of Islam.^{[citation needed]}

People

Saints

Saint Sophia of Milan, feast day 17 September
Saint Sophia of Rome, martyr, feast day 15 May
Saint Sophia of Sortino (Sicily), martyr, feast day 23 September^[6]
Saint Sophia of Fermo (March of Ancona), feast day 30 April^[6]
Saints Sophia and Irene of Egypt (3rd century), feast day 4 June^[6]
Saint Sophia of Thrace (9th century), feast day 4 June^[6]
Saint Sofia of Suzdal (d. 1542), see Solomonia Yuryevna Saburova
Saint Sophia of Slutsk (d. 1612), see Sophia Olelkovich Radziwill

Royalty

Sofia

Sofia of Bavaria Wittelsbach (1376–1425), Queen of Bohemia
Queen Sofía of Spain (born 1938), Queen consort of Spain
Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland (born 1984), wife of Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
Infanta Sofía of Spain (born 2007), a Spanish princess

Sophia

Sophia (530–c. 601), Byzantine empress
Sophia of Minsk (d. 1198), Danish queen
Sophia Palaiologina (1455–1503), Grand Duchess of Moscow
Sophia Stuart (1606), daughter of James VI and I
Sophia of Hanover (1630–1714), heir to the English throne
Sophia Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1636–1689), German noblewoman
Sophia Alekseyevna (1657–1704), Russian regent
Sophia Dorothea of Celle (1666–1726), Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg, wife of George I of Great Britain
Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (1687–1757), Queen Consort of Prussia, daughter of George I of Great Britain
Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1700–1770), Queen consort of Denmark-Norway
Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia (1719–1765), daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover
Margravine Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1736–1798), Duchess of Württemberg
Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1758–1794), Princess and Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom (1768–1840), Duchess of Brunswick and Lüneburg
Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom (1777–1848), British princess
Princess Sophia of Gloucester (1773–1844), British princess
Sophia Sidney, Baroness De L'Isle and Dudley (1796–1837), daughter of William IV
Sophia of Nassau (1836–1913), Queen Consort of Sweden and Norway
Sophia of Prussia (1870–1932), Queen consort of Greece

other versions

Safiye Sultan (1550–1619), wife of Murad III, mother of Mehmed III; originally named Sofia
Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark (1914–2001), later Princess of Hesse, Princes of Hannover
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (born 1965), wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh

Arts and entertainment industry

Sofia (Swedish singer) (nee Sofia Berntson), Swedish singer
Sophia Abrahão (born 1991), Brazilian actress
Sofia Achaval de Montaigu, Argentine fashion model
Sophia Agranovich, Ukrainian-American pianist, recording artist and music educator
Sophia Aliberti (born 1963), Greek actress and TV presenter
Sofia Andres (born 1998), Filipina actress and commercial model
Sofía Bozán (1904–1958), Argentine actress and dancer
Sofía Camará (born 1991), Argentine drag performer
Sofia Carson (born 1993), American singer and actress
Sofiko Chiaureli (1937–2008), Georgian actress
Sofia Coppola (born 1971), American actress and director
Sofia Crespo (born 1991), Argentine visual artist
Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (1919–2004), Portuguese poet
Sophia Baddeley (1745–1786), English actress
Sophia Bush (born 1982), American actress
Sophia Di Martino (born 1983), English actress
Sofia Djama, Algerian film director
Sofie Dossi (born 2001), American contortionist
Sophia Dussek (1775–1831), Scottish composer
Sofia Essaïdi (born 1984), Franco-Moroccan singer
Sofía Gala (born 1987), Argentine actress
Sofia Gubaidulina (born 1931), Russian-Tatar composer
Sophia Peabody Hawthorne (1809–1871), American painter
Sofia Hayat (born 1974), British-Indian model and actress
Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912), English physician
Sofia Karlsson (born 1975), Swedish musician
Sophia Karp (1861–1904), Romanian actress
Sophia Kokosalaki (1972–2019), Greek fashion designer
Zofia Kossak-Szczucka (1889–1968), Polish writer
Sophia Laforteza (born 2002), Filipino-American singer, dancer and member of global pop group KATSEYE
Sophia Laskaridou (1882–1965), Greek artist
Sophia Lee (1750–1824), English novelist
Sophia Lillis (born 2002), American actress
Sophia Loren (born 1934), Italian actress
Sofia Martins de Sousa (1870–1960), Portuguese painter
Sophia McDougall (born 1979), British author
Sophia Michahelles (born 1976), American puppeteer
Sofia Milos (born 1969), Swiss actress
Sophia Myles (born 1980), English actress
Zofia Nałkowska (1884–1954), Polish writer, author of Medallions
Sofia Pablo (born 2006), Filipina actress and commercial model
Sophia Yakovlevna Parnok (1885–1933), Russian poet
Sofía Reca (born 1984), Argentine actress
Sofía Recondo (born 1985), Argentine actress
Sofia Rei, Argentine musician
Sophia Reid-Gantzert (born 2010), Canadian actress and dancer
Sofia Reyes (born 1995), Mexican singer and songwriter
Sophia Romero, American writer
Sofia Rotaru (born 1947), Ukrainian singer
Sofia Samatar (born 1971), Somali-American writer
Sophia Senoron (born 1999), Filipino actress, host, model and a beauty pageant titleholder
Sophia Sergio (born 1992), Italian beauty pageant titleholder
Sofia Shinas (born 1968), Canadian artist
Sofia Tarasova (born 2001), Ukrainian singer and actress
Sofía Tartilán (1829–1888), Spanish writer
Sophie Turner (born 1996), English Actress
Sofia Vembo (1910–1978), Greek singer
Sofia Vassilieva (born 1992), American actress
Sofía Vergara (born 1972), Colombian model and actress
Sofia Vicoveanca (born 1941), Romanian folk singer
Sofía von Ellrichshausen (born 1976), Argentine architect and artist
Sophia Vossou (born 1961), Greek singer
Sofia Wylie (born 2004), American actress
Sophia Yan (born 1986), American classical pianist
Sofie Zamchick (born 1994), American singer and actress
Sofía Zámolo (born 1983), Argentine model, actress and TV presenter

Sports

Sofia Akateva (born 2007), Russian figure skater
Sofia Akhmeteli (born 1981), Georgian alpine skier
Sofia Arvidsson (born 1984), Swedish tennis player
Sofia Asoumanaki (born 1997), Greek rower
Sofia Bekatorou (born 1977), Greek sailor and Olympic gold medalist
Sofiya Bozhanova (born 1967), Bulgarian long and triple jump
Sophia Braun (born 2000), Argentine footballer
Sofía Cairó (born 2002), Argentine field hockey player
Sophia Diagne (born 1998), Senegalese swimmer
Sophia Ellis (born 1996), British powerlifter
Sophia Flörsch (born 2000), German racing driver
Sofia Goggia (born 1992), Italian World Cup alpine ski racer
Sofía Gómez Villafañe (born 1994), Argentine biker
Sofia Gonzalez (born 2001), Swiss Paralympic athlete
Sophia Elizabeth Herzog (born 1997), American swimmer
Sofia Huerta (born 1992), American professional soccer player
Sofia Iosifidou (born 1981), Greek water polo player
Sofia Jakobsson (born 1990), Swedish professional soccer player
Sofia Kenin (born 1998), American tennis player
Sophia Koggouli (born 1991), Greek footballer
Sofia Konukh (born 1980), Russian water polo player
Sofía Luini (born 1992), Argentine tennis player
Sofía Maccari (born 1984), Argentine field hockey player
Sofía MacKenzie (born 1972), Argentine field hockey player
Sophia Morgan, Fijian sailor
Sofía Mulánovich (born 1983), Peruvian surfer
Sofia Muratova (1929–2006), Russian gymnast
Sofia Papadopoulou (born 1983), Greek sailor
Sophia Papamichalopoulou (born 1990), alpine skier who represented Cyprus
Sofia Polgar (born 1974), Hungarian-born Israeli and Canadian chess grandmaster
Sophia Poor (born 2006), English association footballer
Sofía Ramallo (born 2001), Argentine field hockey player
Sofia Riga, Greek runner
Sofia Sakorafa (born 1957), Greek javelin thrower and politician
Sofia Samodelkina (born 2007), Russian figure skater
Sofia Samodurova (born 2002), Russian figure skater
Sofía Sánchez (born 1989), Argentine synchronized swimmer
Sofia Thøgersen (born 2005), Danish runner
Sofia Tikhonova (born 1998), Russian ski jumper
Sofía Toccalino (born 1997), Argentine field hockey player
Sofía Usandizaga (born 1970), Argentine sailor
Sofya Velikaya (born 1985), Russian Olympic fencer
Sofía Villarroya (born 1992), Argentine field hockey player
Sophia Warner (born 1974), Paralympian track and field athlete from England
Sofia Yfantidou (born 1985), Greek track and field athlete

Other

Sophia (robot), humanoid artificial intelligence
Sophia Aggelonitis, Canadian politician
Sofia Amloh (born 1986), Swedish politician
Sophia Hayden Bennett (1868–1953), American architect
Sophia Brahe (1556–1643), Danish astronomer
Sofía Brambilla (born 1980), Argentine politician
Sophia Chan (born 1958), Hong Kong professor and politician
Sophia Collier (born 1956), American entrepreneur
Sophia Drossopoulou, Greek computer scientist
Sophia Eckerson (1880–1954), American botanist and microchemist
Sophia Forero (born 1967), American jewelry designer
Sofia Gatica (born 1967), Argentine environmentalist
Sophia Getzowa (1872–1946), Belarusian-Israeli pathologist and scientist
Sofía Heinonen, Argentine conservationist
Sophia Orne Johnson (1826–1899), American author
Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850–1891), Russian mathematician
Sophie Lancaster (1986–2007), English murder victim
Sophia Leung (born 1933), Canadian politician
Sofie Lippert (born 1995), Danish politician
Sophia Lösche, German murder victim
Sophia Lvovna Perovskaya (1853–1881), Russian revolutionary
Sofia Manzano (born 1971), Brazilian politician
Sofia Merajver (born 1953), Argentine medical oncologist
Sofia Richie (born 1998), American fashion model, daughter of Lionel Richie
Sophie Scholl (1921–1943), German student and anti-Nazi political activist
Sophia D. Stoddard (1820–1891), American educator
Sofia Tekela-Smith (born 1970), New Zealand artist
Sophie Toscan du Plantier (1957–1996), French murder victim
Sophia Wellbeloved, Irish historian, artist, and teacher
Sophia Wilson (1860–1???), Japanese courtesan and wife of Captain John Wilson

Fictional characters

Sophia, in the 2008 Indian film Race, played by Katrina Kaif
Sofia Cordova, main character from the animated TV show Sofia the First
Sophie Amundsen, main character from the novel Sophie's World
Sofia Constantinas, from the comic Wonder Woman
Sofia Curtis, from the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Sofia Johnson, from film The Color Purple
Sofia Dupre, a character on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless
Sofia Lamb, from the video game BioShock 2
Sofia Petrovna, a character from the novel of the same name
Sofia Sartor from the video game Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Sofia Serrano from the film Vanilla Sky
Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres, daughter of Callie Torres, Mark Sloan, and Arizona Robbins from Grey's Anatomy
Sophia, playable character from Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi
Sophia Aubrey, from the Aubrey-Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian
Sophia Esteed, from the video game Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Sophia Forrester, from the animated TV series Last Exile
Sophia Hapgood, from the video game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Sophia Lopez, from the TV series Nip/Tuck
Sophia Peletier, from the TV series and comic books The Walking Dead
Sophia Petrillo, from the TV series The Golden Girls
Sophia Marlowe, from the TV series Girlboss
Sophia Tutu, a character from the animated TV series The Raccoons
Sophia Western, main heroine of the novel The History of Tom Jones
Sophie, from the video game Tales of Graces
Sophie Neveu Saint-Clair, character in Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code
Sophie Zawistowska, the title character of the novel and movie Sophie's Choice
Sophia, a fictional character from the video game Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Sofia Porter, technician of the MD-5 group and Lucinia's sister in the Meta Runner internet series.
Sophie Norton, from the Nickelodeon series Genie in the House
Sophie Hatter, from the book and movie Howl's Moving Castle
Mother Sophia, a key historical figure in Xenogears
Sophia, a character who fuses demons for the protagonist in Shin Megami Tensei V

References

^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". etymonline.com.
^ V. Saxer, "Sophia v. Rom" in: Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche vol. 9 (1993), 733f., citing H.-L. Marrou, Dame Sagesse et ses trois filles: Mél. Ch. Mohrmann (1963), 177–183.
^ Olivia Petter, This is the most popular girl's name in the world, 25 October 2017. Miranda Larbi, Sofia is the most popular girl’s name in the world, Metro.co.uk, 26 October 2017. Catriona Harvey-Jenner, This is the most popular baby name for girls in the world, Cosmopolitan, 26 October 2017.
^ Sophia, Sofia (behindthename.com)
^ "Table 17-10-0147-01 First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators (Number)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Paul Guerin, Les petits Bollandistes vies des saints (1874), p. 552

External links

NamepediA Blog - The Journey of the Name Sophia

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