About the name Sonam
Sonam translates the Sanskrit punya, the store of merit a person builds up across lifetimes, so calling a child Sonam is a wish that their luck be earned rather than given. It has crossed out of Tibetan and Ladakhi communities into wider Indian use, helped considerably by Bollywood.
Sonam is a unisex name of Tibetan origin, pronounced SOH-nahm. On the NameRarity scale it scores 83 out of 100, which places it in the very rare band — a genuinely uncommon pick — most people have never met anyone with this name. Its strongest period was the 2010s.
Name facts at a glance
How popular is Sonam?
Sonam currently falls outside the US top 1,000, which is a large part of why it scores so highly for rarity. Roughly 4.8 people per million carry it — about 1 in 208,333. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.
Famous people named Sonam
- Sonam KapoorIndian actress and style figure
- Sonam WangchukLadakhi engineer and education reformer
Spellings and variants of Sonam
Names similar to Sonam
Tashi
TAH-shee
Auspicious, good fortune
Nidhi
NID-hee
Treasure, a hoard of good fortune
Sanjam
SUN-jum
Self-restraint, the vow of controlled conduct
Suman
SOO-mun
Good-hearted, also a flower
Sunya
SHOON-yah
Emptiness, void, the absence of inherent existence
Karma
KAR-mah
Action and its consequence, intentional deed
Pema
PAY-mah
Lotus, the Tibetan rendering of Sanskrit padma
Saanjh
SAANJH
Dusk, the evening hour
Sonam — frequently asked questions
What does the name Sonam mean?
Sonam means "Merit, good fortune accumulated through virtuous action". It is a name of Tibetan origin, most often given to a unisex.
How do you pronounce Sonam?
Sonam is pronounced SOH-nahm, with 2 syllables.
How rare is the name Sonam?
Sonam scores 83 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it very rare. Roughly 1 in every 208,333 people carry it — about 4.8 per million.
What is the numerology number for Sonam?
Sonam carries the expression number 8, known as The Powerhouse. Its soul urge number is 7 and its personality number is 1.
What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Sonam?
The lucky number for Sonam is 8 (with 17, 26, 35 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Midnight Navy. The traditional lucky day is Saturday and the associated gemstone is Onyx.