Soraya

Origin and meaning of Soraya

Soraya is the Persian form of Arabic Thurayya, ثريّا, which names the Pleiades — the star cluster in the constellation Taurus.

• Arabicثريّا

  Thurayya, “the Pleiades”, the star cluster in Taurus.

• Persian

  Soraya, the Persian form of Thurayya; from there it passed into Spanish, French and Portuguese.

The detail that changes how you read the name: it does not name a star, it names a handful of them. The Pleiades are a cluster — a group seen together with the naked eye, which nearly every ancient culture noticed and named. To call someone Soraya is to point at the group, not at a single point.

That is why the meaning that circulates, “star” or “jewel”, is a simplification. The jewel comes in by association: the cluster looks like an ornament set into the sky, and the image stuck.

The person who carried the name to Europe was Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari (1932-2001), wife of the last Shah of Iran. After the marriage she became a European socialite, and the name travelled with her — which is why it is now common in Spain, France and Brazil, far from the world it came from.

In 2006 it ranked 98th in Spain and, in 2024, 152nd in Italy. The original Arabic forms remain in use: Thuraya, Thurayya, Surayya.

Which surnames go well with Soraya?

We calculate how Soraya sounds next to the 6 most common surnames in the English-speaking world. The score runs from 0 to 100 and weighs length contrast, the cadence of the pair and cacophony at the join — a row only gets a comment when there is something specific to point out.

Your surname is not on the list? Type it into the checker above and the score appears at once, with the reason.

Numerology of the name Soraya

Every letter in Soraya carries a value. Added up, they reveal three numbers describing talents, motivations and the impression the name makes.

Numerology is a symbolic, cultural reading: fun and inspiration, not science.

Sweet nicknames for Soraya

Affectionate ways to call Soraya every day.