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Soraya

Girl name · 18 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Soraya: 18 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 5 births in 1976.

Soraya is a name of Persian origin, from "Thurayya" meaning "the Pleiades" star cluster. It has been borne by the striking Queen Soraya of Iran, the second wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose beauty and divorce made headlines worldwide. The name also gained visibility through the German-born novelist Soraya Nini, author of "They Call Me Muslim." No famous places share this exact name, but the Arabic variant "Thurayya" appears in the name of a mountain in the United Arab Emirates. Interestingly, Soraya experienced a notable surge in popularity across Europe in the 1950s and 60s following the Queen'spublicity, though it has always been relatively rare in Scotland.

Girl 5 of 52 years

Peak year
19765 babies
Latest (2018)
#8093 babies
Total births
18since 1976
5-year trend
≈ stablevs prior 5y
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 1976 · 5
Births per year in Scotland. Missing years had a count of 2 or fewer (suppressed by NRS).