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Soraya as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Soraya

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The baby name Soraya is a Girl name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced so-RYE-ə.

Soraya is Arabic, Persian in Origin.

Gender: Girl
Syllables: 3
Origin: Arabic, Persian
Pronunciation: so-RYE-ə

What is the meaning of the name Soraya ?

The baby name Soraya is a girl name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced so-RYE-ə.

Soraya is Arabic, Persian in Origin.

Soraya is a Persian and Arabic feminine name from Arabic ثُرَيّا Thurayyā, or al-Thurayyā, the classical term for the Pleiades in Taurus. Morphologically it follows the Arabic diminutive pattern fuʿaylā; the consonantal root ث-ر-و is associated with abundance or wealth, a likely reference to the clustered stars. Persian ثریا Sorayā adapts Arabic initial th to s, yielding the standard modern spelling Soraya in romanization.

The name has long belonged to Persianate and Arabic-speaking naming traditions, and Iberian Zoraya reflects its transmission through al-Andalus. Isabel de Solís, associated with the late Nasrid court of Granada, is traditionally said to have taken it after conversion to Islam. Variants include Suraya in Afghanistan, Surayyo in Tajik usage, Turkish Süreyya, Portuguese Soraia, and South Asian Suraiya. Twentieth-century visibility came through Queen Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary of Iran and Queen Soraya Tarzi of Afghanistan; recent records place Soraya in Spanish, French, British, and Latin American use.

Soraya has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Soraya

Soraya Esfandiari-Bakhtiari Actor · Born 1932 · Iran Soraya Esfandiari-Bakhtiari was an Iranian actress and the second wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. She became a prominent figure in the 1950s due to her marriage and her subsequent role in the Iranian royal family. After her divorce, she pursued a brief acting career in Europe. Soraya Musician · Born 1969 · United States Soraya was a Colombian-American singer-songwriter known for her heartfelt Latin pop and rock music. She gained fame with songs like 'De Repente' and 'Casi' and was admired for her powerful voice and emotional lyrics. Soraya also became an advocate for breast cancer awareness after her own diagnosis.

Soraya – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Girls 2024 #1 — 417
Ireland Girls 2021 #1 — 897
DJ Girls 0 #29 1 488
HN Girls 0 #38 1 884
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
CM 0 #56 1 2,592
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
AF 0 #72 5 1,883
AO 0 #73 5 2,729
AF Girls 0 #83 12 2,402
ID Girls 0 #89 10 3,319
Switzerland Girls 2024 #103 33 1,786
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
BN Girls 0 #112 3 5,459
EC 0 #114 8 2,502
OM 0 #118 4 6,215
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
CY Girls 0 #124 2 3,755
Spain Girls 0 #128 5,594 5,561
MU 0 #131 7 3,613
PA 0 #133 6 3,797
JO 0 #139 2 2,158
MT Girls 0 #150 4 3,773
PR Girls 0 #150 12 3,171
BW Girls 0 #151 1 4,216
LU Girls 0 #155 31 4,850
CR 0 #161 5 5,526
Belgium Girls 2024 #164 22 424
UY 0 #167 11 2,477
EC Girls 0 #170 70 3,650
AO Girls 0 #173 37 4,575
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
Sweden Girls 2021 #180 4 1,666
AE 0 #182 6 10,220
AR 0 #187 7 2,915
PT 0 #222 25 4,161
AL Girls 0 #226 2 4,141
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
IR 0 #228 4 4,221
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
NA Girls 0 #233 5 7,146
Spain 0 #236 262 2,326
JP Girls 0 #236 10 6,592
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
GR Girls 0 #244 6 6,293
Canada Girls 2024 #256 30 2,795
France Girls 2021 #267 144 3,185
PT Girls 0 #271 208 7,952
IR Girls 0 #272 316 8,334
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
JM Girls 0 #276 3 7,507
SG 0 #280 3 11,010
IL 0 #281 2 6,291
TW Girls 0 #282 8 8,139
UY Girls 0 #292 267 6,731
HR Girls 0 #293 2 3,687
PE 0 #296 15 6,350
BR 0 #299 47 5,969
GT 0 #302 13 5,948
QA Girls 0 #303 14 15,378
DK Girls 0 #304 13 7,429
SA 0 #308 5 10,560
MU Girls 0 #310 42 8,539
JO Girls 0 #311 15 7,570
NL Girls 0 #313 1,084 5,933
MY 0 #316 15 12,352
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
GH Girls 0 #333 5 6,973
NL 0 #333 59 2,481
SD Girls 0 #333 13 7,678
CL Girls 0 #340 848 14,098
CL 0 #349 63 6,867
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
BO 0 #355 27 6,868
CN Girls 0 #355 5 8,829
HK 0 #356 2 8,483
PL Girls 0 #363 2 5,096
CO Girls 0 #364 1,604 16,140
MA 0 #370 1,678 20,986
EG 0 #375 26 6,387
DZ 0 #378 1,609 20,130
Finland Girls 0 #378 14 1,368
OM Girls 0 #380 17 15,987
PA Girls 0 #380 103 9,861
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
MX 0 #387 27 8,339
JO Boys 0 #388 2 7,057
BO Girls 0 #391 240 9,488
CO 0 #396 85 7,768
Austria Girls 0 #402 19 1,885
BD Girls 0 #403 4 8,413
UY Boys 0 #411 3 5,922
ZA 0 #418 30 14,421
PH Girls 0 #424 6 13,098
Germany 0 #428 10 2,542
AR Girls 0 #439 168 8,289
BR Girls 0 #449 722 12,708
EG Girls 0 #462 686 14,742
SD Boys 0 #466 1 10,523
GT Girls 0 #468 38 7,500
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
KW Girls 0 #488 28 19,177
IQ Girls 0 #494 11 11,303
PS Girls 0 #499 25 10,981
AE Girls 0 #503 51 20,968
CR Girls 0 #503 30 11,342
PA Boys 0 #503 3 9,305
CM Girls 0 #515 26 11,671
RU Girls 0 #521 3 11,913
BH 0 #543 11 17,937
IR Boys 0 #543 10 10,162
HK Boys 0 #556 2 12,905
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
SG Girls 0 #560 27 18,916
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
CM Boys 0 #574 2 12,054
IL Girls 0 #574 44 11,648
HK Girls 0 #604 12 16,104
LB 0 #604 55 13,263
BO Boys 0 #619 4 9,244
PE Girls 0 #629 354 14,861
United States Girls 2024 #632 290 8,487
IT 0 #634 81 4,183
ZA Girls 0 #644 615 25,928
Germany Girls 0 #655 187 4,949
Finland Girls 2026 #667 72 3,895
CL Boys 0 #693 8 13,390
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
IT Girls 0 #699 1,038 9,415
SY 0 #709 20 11,684
TN 0 #721 109 13,765
QA Boys 0 #742 2 18,093
BR Boys 0 #780 6 12,213
MX Girls 0 #794 434 17,781
KW Boys 0 #806 1 18,755
NG Girls 0 #825 2 15,093
MY Girls 0 #829 166 24,821
SA Girls 0 #829 107 25,931
EG Boys 0 #872 15 15,035
Spain Boys 0 #888 43 5,610
CO Boys 0 #902 19 15,656
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
PE Boys 0 #921 6 14,506
MX Boys 0 #973 10 16,355
MY Boys 0 #1,177 6 25,439
TR 0 #1,193 19 19,440
ZA Boys 0 #1,264 9 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,456 16 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,685 7 28,008

Soraya is popular in 81 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
Belgium
Brussels, Belgium
Wallonia, Belgium

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Soraya

Soraya is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Soraya is a 3 syllable name, pronounced so-RYE-ə.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Suraya, Thurayya, Thoraya, Zoraya, Soraia and Suraiya.
Yes, very popular — Soraya ranked #1 in Germany in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Soraya ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2024).
Yes — 2 notable people named Soraya are in our database, including Soraya Esfandiari-Bakhtiari (Actor), Soraya (Musician).