Sorayah

Meaning & origin

Sorayah is a modern spelling variant of the classic Arabic name Soraya, which has been used for centuries in the Middle East and South Asia. In the U.S., it first appeared on the Social Security list in 1998 and has been steadily rising in use, reaching its peak popularity in 2025 with a rank of 4,987. That year, approximately 1 in 61,818 newborn girls received the name. Its upward trajectory since 2001 suggests growing appeal among parents seeking an elegant, cross-cultural name with celestial ties. Though not yet common in any single state, Sorayah fits a broader trend of names ending in '-ayah' or '-aya' that blend tradition with a modern, lyrical sound.

Sorayah is a variant spelling of Soraya, which itself derives from the Arabic Thurayya (ثريا), the name of the Pleiades star cluster in Islamic astronomy and Persian folklore. The name entered European use through Persian literature and was popularized in the West by Princess Soraya of Iran in the mid-20th century. This spelling variation emerged in the late 1990s, reflecting modern phonetic anglicization.