What does Roxana mean?
Roxana means “dawn,” “bright” or “radiant”; she married Alexander the Great.
What does Soraya mean?
Soraya names the Pleiades star cluster in Persian.
Roxana vs Soraya
Which is more popular?
Soraya is more popular than Roxana today: about 313 US babies were given the name Soraya in 2025, compared with 77 named Roxana.
| Roxana | Soraya | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Dawn, radiant | The Pleiades |
| Origin | Persian | Persian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | rok-SAN-ah | soh-RY-ah |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1882 | 1955 |
| Peak year | 1991 (315) | 2025 (313) |
| In 2025 | 77 | 313 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Popularity over time, 1880–2025
Roxana
Soraya
Source: US Social Security Administration.
Births by decade
| Decade | Roxana | Soraya |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 555 | 1,517 |
| 2010s | 1,270 | 1,963 |
| 2000s | 2,304 | 1,580 |
| 1990s | 2,517 | 629 |
| 1980s | 2,272 | 422 |
| 1970s | 944 | 313 |
| 1960s | 690 | 326 |
| 1950s | 588 | 61 |
| 1940s | 395 | 0 |
| 1930s | 185 | 0 |
| 1920s | 133 | 0 |
| 1910s | 67 | 0 |
| 1900s | 31 | 0 |
| 1890s | 17 | 0 |
| 1880s | 26 | 0 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Roxana or Soraya more popular?
Soraya is more popular than Roxana today: about 313 US babies were given the name Soraya in 2025, compared with 77 named Roxana.
What is the difference between Roxana and Soraya?
Roxana means Dawn, radiant (Persian origin), while Soraya means The Pleiades (Persian origin).
Which name is older, Roxana or Soraya?
In US records, Roxana first appears in 1882 and Soraya in 1955, so Roxana has the longer recorded history.