Show ContentsSonya History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Sonya family

The surname Sonya was first found in Berkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands and village of Sonning, held by Roger from the Bishop of Salisbury, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Sonya family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sonya research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1096, 1327, 1463, 1476, 1504, 1510, 1546 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Sonya History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sonya Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sonning, Sonnin, Sonin, Soning, Sunning, Suning, Sunin, Souning, Sounin, Sonninges, Somin, Somings and many more.

Early Notables of the Sonya family

More information is included under the topic Early Sonya Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sonya family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..


Contemporary Notables of the name Sonya (post 1700) +

  • Jessica Sonya Dicicco (b. 1980), American actress, voice actress, and singer
  • Sonya Helen Hanke (1933-1993), Australian pianist and educator
  • Sonya Eddy (1967-2022), American actress, born in Concord, California, who appeared in such sitcoms as Married... with Children, The Drew Carey Show, Murphy Brown, Seinfeld and Home Improvement
  • Sonya Biddle (1957-2022), Canadian actress and politician from Montreal, Quebec; she served on the Montreal city council from 1998 to 2001 as a member of Vision Montreal, daughter of Montreal jazz bassist Charlie Biddle
  • Ms. Sonya Bedford M.B.E., British Head of Renewable Energy for Stephens Scown LLP, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Community Energy 2
  • Sonya Taaffe, American author of short fiction and poetry
  • Sonya Louise Hartnett (b. 1938), Australian children's book author, awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award from the Swedish Arts Council in 2008
  • Sonya Sones, American poet and author, known for her books What My Mother Doesn't Know and Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy
  • Sonya Dorman (1924-2005), pen name of Sonya Dorman Hess, American poet
  • Sonya Kitchell (b. 1989), American jazz singer-songwriter


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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