| Sophia | Chloe | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Wisdom | Green shoot; blooming |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | so-FEE-uh | KLOH-ee |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2012 (22,336) | 2009 (11,922) |
| In 2025 | 12,561 | 6,203 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Sophia | Chloe |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 74,758 | 37,588 |
| 2010s | 181,174 | 85,316 |
| 2000s | 119,251 | 96,503 |
| 1990s | 24,503 | 25,858 |
| 1980s | 10,823 | 3,605 |
| 1970s | 4,581 | 645 |
| 1960s | 4,908 | 204 |
| 1950s | 1,578 | 296 |
| 1940s | 1,054 | 543 |
| 1930s | 1,117 | 778 |
| 1920s | 3,277 | 746 |
| 1910s | 5,237 | 850 |
| 1900s | 2,460 | 478 |
| 1890s | 2,522 | 622 |
| 1880s | 1,865 | 357 |
Sophia is the Greek word for “wisdom,” long honoured in philosophy and in the Eastern Christian tradition of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia).
From Greek 'chloe' (Χλόη) meaning 'green shoot, young growth of a plant'. It was an epithet of the harvest goddess Demeter marking the fresh green of spring.
Sophia is more popular than Chloe today: about 12,561 US babies were given the name Sophia in 2025, compared with 6,203 named Chloe.
Sophia means Wisdom (Greek origin), while Chloe means Green shoot; blooming (greek origin).
In US records, Sophia first appears in 1880 and Chloe in 1880, so Sophia has the longer recorded history.