Sorcha
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- SOR-ka
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,206 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #11,928 for girls
Big in ScotlandBig in Northern Ireland
Sorcha is a girls' name of Irish origin, meaning “bright, radiant”. In 2025 it ranked 2,206th for girls in the UK (13 babies) and 11,928th for girls in the US (7 babies).
What does Sorcha mean?
Irish
“bright, radiant”
From the Gaelic word for bright or radiant; it has long been treated as an Irish equivalent of Sarah.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Sorcha a girl's or a boy's name?
Sorcha is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 13 girls in the UK and 7 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Sorcha in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,206among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 13about 1 in 21,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 31% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 13 girls in the UK were named Sorcha, making it the 2,206th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,864th. Its busiest year was 1998, with 69 girls.
Half of all the girls named Sorcha in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2012. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 5,925th in England and Wales and 324th in Scotland.
Sorcha in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | #2,206 |
| 2024 | 15 | #1,953 |
| 2023 | 8 | #3,098 |
| 2022 | 8 | #3,050 |
| 2021 | 19 | #1,669 |
| 2020 | 16 | #1,864 |
| 2019 | 13 | #2,157 |
| 2018 | 23 | #1,468 |
| 2017 | 18 | #1,763 |
| 2016 | 17 | #1,853 |
| 2015 | 24 | #1,431 |
| 2014 | 12 | #2,320 |
| 2013 | 20 | #1,617 |
| 2012 | 26 | #1,346 |
| 2011 | 23 | #1,421 |
| 2010 | 25 | #1,344 |
| 2009 | 27 | #1,212 |
| 2008 | 23 | #1,346 |
| 2007 | 43 | #818 |
| 2006 | 27 | #1,087 |
| 2005 | 38 | #808 |
| 2004 | 37 | #814 |
| 2003 | 37 | #783 |
| 2002 | 48 | #629 |
| 2001 | 47 | #621 |
| 2000 | 63 | #509 |
| 1999 | 60 | #531 |
| 1998 | 69 | #483 |
| 1997 | 62 | #511 |
| 1996 | 35 | #719 |
How popular is Sorcha in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #11,928among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 7about 1 in 230,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 7 girls in the US were named Sorcha, making it the 11,928th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 15,083rd. Its busiest year was 2010, with 15 girls. It first appears in the records in 1989.
Half of all the girls named Sorcha in the US since 1880 were born between 2000 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
Sorcha in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #11,928 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 7 | #12,192 |
| 2022 | 5 | #15,300 |
| 2021 | 6 | #13,459 |
| 2020 | 5 | #15,083 |
| 2019 | 7 | #12,442 |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 13 | #8,295 |
| 2016 | 10 | #10,109 |
| 2015 | 7 | #13,001 |
| 2014 | 6 | #14,552 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 10 | #10,424 |
| 2011 | 9 | #11,175 |
| 2010 | 15 | #7,877 |
| 2009 | 8 | #12,423 |
| 2008 | 11 | #10,080 |
| 2007 | 13 | #9,003 |
| 2006 | 8 | #12,415 |
| 2005 | 11 | #9,447 |
| 2004 | 7 | #12,754 |
| 2003 | 6 | #13,837 |
| 2002 | 8 | #11,102 |
| 2001 | 13 | #7,717 |
| 2000 | 8 | #10,738 |
| 1999 | 11 | #8,216 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 10 | #8,127 |
| 1995 | 5 | #13,380 |
| 1994 | 11 | #7,598 |
| 1993 | 7 | #10,581 |
| 1992 | 5 | #13,308 |
| 1991 | 5 | #13,139 |
| 1990 | 6 | #11,403 |
| 1989 | 5 | #12,356 |
Names like Sorcha
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Emma Sana Sienna Safa Syeda Sophie Ava Orla Niamh Chloe Iqra Hana
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Ryan Nolan Quinn Cody Erin Ronan Connor Declan Casey Kennedy
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Sorcha: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sorcha, updated 20 October 2026.