Fun Facts About the Name Saroya
- 257 babies named Saroya: U.S. records list 257 babies given the name Saroya from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Saroya Mean?
Saroya is an uncommon feminine given name whose derivation is not firmly established. The explanation most often offered treats it as a respelling of the Persian and Arabic name Soraya, also written Surayya or Souraya, which comes from Arabic thurayyā (ثريا), the name of the Pleiades, the star cluster in the constellation Taurus. In that account the name is a proper noun taken from the sky rather than a word with a descriptive sense, so "Pleiades" is a literal meaning, not a symbolic one.
A second explanation connects the spelling to the Hebrew name Sarah (שָׂרָה), traditionally understood as "princess" or "noblewoman," with Sara and Sarai as related forms. That is a different origin, not a translation of the Arabic word, and the likeness between the two names may be only a matter of spelling. Because Saroya is rare, no firm line can be drawn between these possibilities for any single use of the name.
Saroya Name History & Origins
If Saroya is a variant of Soraya, its history belongs to that name. Thurayyā is an old Arabic word for the Pleiades, used for the star cluster well before Islam, and it has served as a personal name in the Arabic-speaking world for centuries. Persian-, Turkish-, and Urdu-speaking communities adopted it in forms such as Soraya and Surayya, and it is also found in Spanish-speaking countries. Two well-known twentieth-century bearers made the Soraya spelling recognizable far beyond those regions: Soraya Tarzi (1899 - 1968), queen consort of Afghanistan, and Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary (1932 - 2001), the second wife of Mohammad Reza Shah of Iran.
The spelling Saroya itself is a less common variant that appears chiefly in English-language use. If the name is instead a form of Sarah, its background is entirely separate: Sarah is the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac in the book of Genesis, where the earlier form of her name is given as Sarai, and the name has been used continuously in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities for well over two thousand years.
How Popular is the Name Saroya?
Saroya has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #1,497 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,497 | 143 | 0.0089% |
| 2024 | #3,679 | 42 | 0.0026% |
| 2022 | #17,344 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #17,100 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #18,014 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #18,668 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #13,090 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #13,106 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #7,943 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #12,028 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #10,370 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #8,992 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #11,761 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #7,363 | 5 | 0.0002% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Saroya
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with S
How the Name Saroya Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Saroya's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Saroya's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.