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Home › Baby Names Directory › Soul

Soul

♀ Girl

Pronounced SOHL /ˈsoʊl/High

Meaning: The spirit or essence of a person; an English word name from Old English sawolHigh

In 30 seconds: The deepest word in the language, worn as a name: Soul names the essence itself — with a backbeat of soul music thrown in free.
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Origin HighEnglish
MeaningThe spirit or essence of a person; an English word name from Old English sawol
U.S. rank (2025)#3967 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births37 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2021
Total births (all-time)≈ 321

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202120022025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Soul is the English word for the immaterial essence of a person, from Old English sawol, a term older than English Christianity itself. As a name it belongs to the newest word-name frontier — alongside Truth, Honor, and Peace — with the parallel meaning of soul music, soul food, and 'old soul' warming its register.

It appears only faintly in U.S. records, for both sexes, sometimes as a middle name where its weight sits easily. For a daughter it is a bold, meaning-saturated rarity.

Did you know? Soul music got its name in the 1950s when gospel singers carried church feeling into secular songs — giving this one syllable a whole American art form.
Overall data confidence 92%
Oxford English Dictionary — soul — word etymology

Variations

SolSoule

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

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If you like Soul…

Honor— a fellow weighty virtue-word name
Sol— the sun-name homophone neighbor in Spanish
Storm— lands in the same popularity range
Layne— lands in the same popularity range
Charm— a fellow English choice

Explore names like Soul

By thememodernword-namespiritual

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Soul mean?

Soul is the English word for a person's spirit or essence, from Old English sawol, used as a modern word name.

How do you pronounce Soul?

It's said SOHL /ˈsoʊl/ — a single syllable.

Is Soul a boy or girl name?

Soul is used for both sexes; this page covers its use as a girl's name.

How popular is Soul?

Soul is a very rare word name in the U.S.

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