Cleveland Evans: History makes the case for ‘Sonia’

Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court has put her name in the news. And Sonia is a first name with a remarkable history.

Sonia is a “Westernized” spelling of Sonya, a Russian pet form of Sophia. Sophia is derived from the Greek word for “wisdom.”

Sonia’s original meaning of “wisdom” makes it interesting that Sotomayor’s statement about a “wise Latina woman” has figured so prominently in what controversy there is over her nomination.

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” she said in 2001.

The name Sophia is particularly popular with Eastern Orthodox Christians. This is partly because of the Hagia Sophia, the “Church of the Holy Wisdom.”

Built by Emperor Justinian during the sixth century A.D., this huge cathedral was for centuries the spiritual center of Orthodox Christianity. It is still remembered as such today, despite having been turned into a mosque when the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453.

In Russia, the influence of the Orthodox church made Sophia and Sonya very popular names. In the early 20th century, Sonya spread beyond Russia through the work of famous Russian novelists.

In Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” Sonya is the kind and moral orphaned cousin of the Rostov family.

In Dostoevski’s “Crime and Punishment,” Sonya is the main female character. Forced into prostitution to support her drunken father, Sonya is nevertheless loving, devout and understanding. Her love for the murderer Raskolnikov partially redeems him.

By 1910, Sonia was being used all over Europe and Latin America. In the United States, Sonia became one of the top thousand names in 1909. Sonya followed in 1927, and Sonja in 1930.

All three spellings were most popular during the 1960s and 1970s; when combined they were among the top 100 names for American girls. Sonya and Sonia were popular with parents from all ethnic backgrounds, from Mormon to African-American to Hispanic.

Sonja is the spelling of the name in Germany and Scandinavia. Norway is the country where Sonja has had the most interesting story.

Sonja Henie, born in 1912 to wealthy parents in Oslo, was the most successful female figure skater of all time. Between 1927 and 1936, she won the World Championship 10 times, and she was the gold medalist at the Olympics in 1928, 1932 and 1936. After retiring from competitive skating, she became a Hollywood star. Henie’s fame reinforced the worldwide spread of Sonia as a given name.

Back in Norway, one of many girls named after Sonja Henie was Sonja Haraldsen, born in 1937. In 1959, she began dating Crown Prince Harald. Harald’s father, King Olav, refused to allow him to marry a commoner. Harald told his father he would either marry Sonja or remain a bachelor. Olav finally relented in 1968. Since 1991, Sonja has been queen of Norway.

With a romantic royal story and now a probable Supreme Court justice, Sonia is probably the most successful Russian export since vodka.

Contact the writer:

cleveland.evans@bellevue.edu

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