Sunja
Soon-ja, also spelled Sun-ja, is a Korean given name. According to South Korean government data it was the seventh-most popular name for baby girls in 1940. It is one of a number of Japanese-style names ending in "ja", like Young-ja and Jeong-ja, that were popular when Korea was under Japanese rule, but declined in popularity afterwards. By 1950 there were no names ending in "ja" in the top ten.
Meaning & Origin of Sunja
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Soon-ja, also spelled Sun-ja, is a Korean given name. According to South Korean government data it was the seventh-most popular name for baby girls in 1940. It is one of a number of Japanese-style names ending in "ja", like Young-ja and Jeong-ja, that were popular when Korea was under Japanese rule, but declined in popularity afterwards. By 1950 there were no names ending in "ja" in the top ten.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Sunja
Sunja first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1965, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1977, when 6 Sunjas were born — ranking #8,443 that year. As of 2026, Sunja ranks #8,443 for baby girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 11 Sunjas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Sunja
Phonetically similar names — useful when Sunja 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 Sunja
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About the name Sunja
Sunja is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1965 and has accumulated 11 births in the dataset. Sunja's peak popularity came in 1977 when it ranked #8,443. Use the chart and map above to compare Sunja's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1977 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- 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.