NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Sofi

A Greek feminine name meaning "wisdom, skilled".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Sofi is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Sofi popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4843, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 6 births.

This profile covers 86 England and Wales registrations across 19 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 67% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 92 living people in the UK are called Sofi. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Sofi ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1998, when 6 girls were registered as Sofi.
  • Sofi ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #808 in 2017.
  • About 92 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sofi as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4843

2024

Births in 2024

4

Latest year

Peak year

1998

6 births

Estimated living

92

2026

Meaning

What does Sofi mean?

The name Sofi is derived from the Greek name Sophia, which means "wisdom" or "skill." The name has its roots in ancient Greek culture, dating back to the 5th century BCE.

Sofi was a popular name among the ancient Greeks, particularly in Athens, where it was associated with the goddess of wisdom, Athena. The name was often given to girls with the hope that they would grow up to be wise and intelligent.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Sofi can be found in the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who mentioned a woman named Sofi in his dialogues. Another early reference to the name can be found in the writings of the historian Herodotus, who wrote about a woman named Sofi who lived in the 5th century BCE.

Throughout history, there have been several notable women named Sofi. One of the most famous was Sofi Tolstaya, a Russian noblewoman and writer who lived from 1844 to 1919. She was the wife of the famous novelist Leo Tolstoy and was known for her philanthropic work and her support of women's rights.

Another notable Sofi was Sofi Kovalevskaya, a Russian mathematician and writer who lived from 1850 to 1891. She was the first woman to become a professor of mathematics in modern Europe and made significant contributions to the field of partial differential equations.

In the world of art, Sofi Treadwell was a British painter and sculptor who lived from 1890 to 1979. She was known for her portraits and was a member of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Sofi Loren, the famous Italian actress, was born in 1934 and is still alive today. She is known for her roles in films such as "Two Women" and "Marriage Italian Style," and is considered a cultural icon in Italy.

Finally, Sofi Oksanen is a Finnish-Estonian novelist who was born in 1977. She is known for her novels that explore themes of identity, power, and violence, and has won several prestigious literary awards.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Sofi over time

The chart below shows babies named Sofi registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Sofi, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 6 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Sofi
02356199620102024

Decades

Sofi by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sofi was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #5037 15 4
2010s #4285 30 6
2000s #3733 27 6
1990s #2980 14 3

Geography

Where Sofi is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Sofi. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Sofi ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #808 in 2017.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Sofi in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#808 in 2017

2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered

Related

Names similar to Sofi

FAQ

Sofi: questions and answers

How popular is the name Sofi in the UK right now?

In 2024, Sofi was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Sofi most popular?

The peak year on record was 1998, with 6 babies registered as Sofi in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Sofi?

A Greek feminine name meaning "wisdom, skilled".

How many people are called Sofi in the UK?

A total of 86 babies have been registered as Sofi across the 19 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland.

Where is Sofi most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Sofi ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #808 in 2017. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.