Create Your Family Tree Map
SIGN UPSoraya is a female name of Arabic origin, meaning "rich." It is derived from the Arabic name for the Pleiades star cluster, Thurayyā or Suraya. The name has historical significance, with examples such as Isabel de Solís, a princess of the Nasrid dynasty of Granada who converted to Islam and took the name Soraya. Additionally, it gained popularity through Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary, the second wife of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran. The name has been embraced by notable individuals across various fields, including music, politics, and activism. It is also associated with cultural references such as a lunar crater, a Marvel comic book character, and a song by the band Animals as Leaders. With a rich history and diverse cultural connections, Soraya remains a meaningful and significant name.
Soraya Raquel Lamilla Cuevas (March 11, 1969 – May 10, 2006) was a Colombian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, arranger, and record producer. Known for her success in the Latin music world, Soraya achieved two number-one songs on Billboard's Latin Pop Airplay charts. She won a 2004 Latin Grammy Award for "Best Album by Songwriter" for her self-titled album Soraya, which she produced, and received a 2005 Latin Grammy Award nomination for "Female Pop Vocal Album" for her album El Otro Lado de Mi. Soraya's musical journey began at a young age when she developed an interest in music and learned to play the guitar and violin. Despite facing personal challenges, including the loss of her mother to breast cancer, Soraya pursued her passion for music and gained international recognition. Her career was marked by a commitment to raising awareness about breast cancer, as she herself battled the disease before her passing in 2006. Soraya's legacy lives on through her inspiring music and her advocacy for breast cancer awareness.
Soraya Viola Heléna Post, born on October 15, 1956, is a Swedish politician and a former member of the European Parliament, representing Sweden. She is affiliated with the Feminist Initiative, a part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Post has been actively involved in advocating for the rights of national minorities, particularly the Romani people, and has played a significant role in the establishment of Agnesbergs folkhögskola in Gothenburg. Notably, she made history by becoming the first Romani in Swedish history to be selected as a candidate for a political party. Post's commitment to addressing social issues extends to her involvement in the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly and her initiation of the EU Roma Week, an annual event held in Brussels. Personally, she has Romani ancestry through her mother and has been a staunch advocate for the rights of Roma people in Sweden and Europe. Despite facing public scrutiny over her daughter's Romani engagement at sixteen years of age, Post has clarified her stance against child marriages. Soraya Post's impactful contributions and unwavering dedication to advocating for marginalized communities have solidified her position as a prominent figure in Swedish politics.
Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is an American journalist known for her extensive career in international reporting. Growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a German mother and Iranian father, she developed a multicultural perspective that would shape her future work. Nelson's journalism journey began in 1985 at The Star Democrat in Easton, Maryland, and she went on to achieve significant milestones, including sharing the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1996 TWA Flight 800 crash. Her impactful career led her to become NPR's international correspondent, where she established the network's first permanent bureau in Kabul, Afghanistan. Nelson's exemplary coverage of Afghanistan earned her a Peabody Award in 2010. Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades, including the Gracie Award, Overseas Press Club Award, and the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for courageous journalism. In 2020, she joined KCRW Berlin as program director. Nelson is multilingual, fluent in Persian, Dari, German, and English, and resides in Berlin with her husband and son.
All images displayed on this page are sourced from Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons.We use these images under their respective Creative Commons or public domain licenses. Wherever applicable, author attributions and license information are provided. If you believe an image is used incorrectly or outside its license terms, please contact us so that we can review and correct the issue.