Fun Facts About the Name Sora
- More than 2 thousand babies named Sora: U.S. records list 2,461 babies given the name Sora from 1880 through 2025. Even 663 boys received the name Sora - about 1 boy for every 3 girls.
What Does the Name Sora Mean?
Sora is a Japanese name written with the kanji 空, meaning "sky." The same character can mean "empty," but read as sora in a personal name it points to the sky or heavens. Since Japanese names are written in characters chosen by parents, other kanji can produce the same sound - 蒼 (blue) and 昊 (vast sky) are also read sora - so the written form, not just the sound, carries the meaning.
Sora is also an Ashkenazi Jewish name, a Yiddish form of Sarah (Hebrew שָׂרָה), traditionally understood as "princess." In Yiddish, Sarah was commonly written and pronounced Sore or Sora.
In Korean, Sora (소라) is a feminine given name. Korean names are usually written with hanja, and the meaning depends on the characters a family selects, so the sound alone does not fix a meaning.
Sora Name History & Origins
空 is an old character in Japanese, long used for "empty" and for "sky" in ordinary writing. Using such words directly as personal names is a modern Japanese practice rather than an ancient one; nature words like sky, sea, and flowers became common name material during the twentieth century. Sora is given to both boys and girls. The name also appears in recent popular culture, for instance as the protagonist of the video-game series Kingdom Hearts, which has made it familiar to audiences outside Japan.
The Jewish name followed a different path. Sarah is a biblical matriarch, the wife of Abraham, and her name was widely used across Jewish communities. Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazim in central and eastern Europe pronounced and spelled it as Sore, with Sora as a common variant. The name traveled to North America and other regions with Ashkenazi migration, where it appears alongside the standard Sarah.
In Korea, Sora (소라) is an established woman's name, separate from the Japanese and Jewish names. Its meaning is set by whichever hanja are chosen to write it.
How Popular is the Name Sora?
Sora 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 2023. Its best rank was #1,863 in 2023.
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 | #1,959 | 99 | 0.0062% |
| 2024 | #1,972 | 100 | 0.0062% |
| 2023 | #1,863 | 108 | 0.0067% |
| 2022 | #2,101 | 92 | 0.0056% |
| 2021 | #2,248 | 83 | 0.0051% |
| 2020 | #2,214 | 82 | 0.0051% |
| 2019 | #2,350 | 77 | 0.0046% |
| 2018 | #2,360 | 78 | 0.0046% |
| 2017 | #2,657 | 66 | 0.0038% |
| 2016 | #3,316 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 2015 | #3,172 | 53 | 0.0030% |
| 2014 | #2,579 | 69 | 0.0039% |
| 2013 | #4,148 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 2012 | #3,203 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 2011 | #3,218 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 2010 | #2,638 | 69 | 0.0039% |
| 2009 | #4,358 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 2008 | #4,077 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2007 | #4,120 | 38 | 0.0020% |
| 2006 | #3,727 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 2005 | #4,022 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 2004 | #4,268 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2003 | #4,102 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2002 | #5,423 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2001 | #4,671 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2000 | #5,133 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1999 | #8,164 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #4,781 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1997 | #8,262 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #5,742 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1995 | #8,015 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #10,418 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #5,647 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #5,975 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1991 | #4,476 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1990 | #9,151 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #6,488 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1988 | #10,246 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #9,687 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #6,531 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #7,480 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #6,234 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1983 | #6,647 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #8,122 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #6,747 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1980 | #5,863 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #5,715 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #9,569 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #5,840 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #7,185 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #7,054 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #10,020 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #9,594 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #8,114 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,250 | 63 | 0.0037% |
| 2024 | #2,300 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 2023 | #2,431 | 56 | 0.0033% |
| 2022 | #1,994 | 77 | 0.0044% |
| 2021 | #2,582 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 2020 | #3,404 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2019 | #3,095 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 2018 | #2,985 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2017 | #3,114 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2016 | #4,301 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2015 | #3,502 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2014 | #4,116 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2013 | #4,950 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #5,687 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #9,475 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #5,440 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2009 | #6,380 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #7,121 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #7,016 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #6,846 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2005 | #8,973 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #12,961 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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.
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How the Name Sora 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 frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Sora's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sora's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.