Suraiya as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Suraiya

What is the meaning of the name Suraiya ?

The baby name Suraiya is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /suːˈraɪə/ (soo-RYE-uh).

Suraiya is Arabic in Origin.

Suraiya is a feminine name of Arabic origin, deriving from Thurayyā (ثريا), the classical Arabic term for the Pleiades star cluster. In Arabic it also denotes a “chandelier,” a poetic extension of shimmering, clustered lights. Through Persian and Urdu circulation, the name came to South Asia with the spelling Suraiya, carrying connotations of brightness, elegance, and celestial guidance.

Historically, the Persian-influenced variant Soraya became prominent in Iran and the wider West, notably through Queen Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary in the mid-20th century. In the Indian subcontinent, Suraiya gained wide recognition via the celebrated Hindi cinema star and singer Suraiya (1929–2004). Common variants and transliterations include Suraya, Surayya, Suraiyya, Soraya, Sorayya, and the Arabic-leaning Thuraya/Thurayya. Nicknames such as Suri and Raya occur in multilingual contexts. Today the name remains popular across Arabic- and Urdu-speaking communities and enjoys cross-cultural appeal due to its luminous meaning and elegant sound.