Sonal
Sonal is a given Indian name originating from the Hindu religion. It is a unisex name often nicknamed as “Sona” and means "curious", "golden", or “precious” in Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati. A similar name is Sonali. It is also a name used in Sri Lanka.
- Hindi
- Marathi
- Gujarati
Meaning & Origin of Sonal
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Sonal is a given Indian name originating from the Hindu religion. It is a unisex name often nicknamed as “Sona” and means "curious", "golden", or “precious” in Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati. A similar name is Sonali. It is also a name used in Sri Lanka.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Hindi
- Marathi
- Gujarati
The Story of Sonal
The earliest SSA record of Sonal as a baby girl name dates back to 1969, when 8 babies received it. 1982 was its biggest year on record, with 33 newborns named Sonal — #2,770 in the national rankings. About 32% of every Sonal on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Sonal last appeared in the published SSA data in 2012, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 592 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Sonal
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Sonal. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Sonal
Phonetically similar names — useful when Sonal is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sonal
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About the name Sonal
Sonal is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1969 and has accumulated 592 births in the dataset. Sonal's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #2,770. Use the chart and map above to compare Sonal's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1982 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.