Girl · #14,962 in 2026

Sonal

Name: Popularity of the name Sonal in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Sonal, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

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.

Current Rank

#14,962

Peak Rank

#2,770 (1982)

Total Babies

592

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1969

First Year

2012

Last Year

1982

Peak Year

#2770

Peak Rank

592

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Sonal

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Sonal

Sonal first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1969, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when 33 Sonals were born — ranking #2,770 that year. As of 2026, Sonal ranks #14,962 for baby girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 592 Sonals have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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.

Sinal
Senal
Senel
Soml
Zonal
Sunil
Senil
Senile
Sona
Simal
Saml
Semel

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sonal

What does the name Sonal mean?

How popular is Sonal in 2026?

In 2026, Sonal ranks #14,962 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Sonal most popular?

Sonal reached its peak popularity in 1982, ranking #2,770 that year with 33 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Sonal most popular?

Sonal has historically been most popular in New Jersey, New York, Illinois. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Sonal.

Is Sonal a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Sonal is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Sonal?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Sonal include Quinetta, Raylyn, Yashika. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.