Sonam is a given name. It is a Tibetan name meaning " merit" (). Separately, it is also a name in various Indo-Aryan languages (Devanagari script: ). People with this name include:

Buddhism

Sönam Choklang, 2nd Panchen Lama Sönam Choklang (1439–1504) was a Tibetan Buddhist religious leader. He was from Tsang Province. He was posthumously recognised as the second Panchen Lama The Panchen Lama () is a tulku of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Panchen La ...

(1438–1505) * Sonam Gyatso, 3rd Dalai Lama (1543–1588), first officially recognized Dalai Lama *

Sonam Lhundrup Sonam Lhundrup (1456–1531) was a great abbot of Mustang and the son of the second Mustang Dharma King, Agon Sangpo. He wrote a four-volume Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian relig ...

(1456–1531), great abbot of Mustang * Sonam Rapten (1595–1658), senior official of the Gelugpa School *

Sonam Rinchen Geshe Sonam Rinchen (1933–2013) was born in Trehor region of Kham in Eastern Tibet in 1933. He died in Dharamshala, India, 5 October 2013. In 1945, he joined Dhargyey Monastery, and entered the monastic university of Sera in Lhasa in 1952, whe ...

(1933–2013), Buddhist Geshe from Kham *

Jinpa Sonam Geshe Lharampa Jinpa Sonam is a Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist philosopher and Spiritual Director for the Indiana Buddhist Center. Sonam was born on May 25, 1955, in Zanskar valley, Ladakh, in the Republic of India. In 1967, he became a monk ...

(born 1955), Indian Buddhist teacher from Ladakh, director of the Indiana Buddhist center

Entertainers

* Sonam (actress) (born Bakhtavar Khan, 1972), Indian actress * Sonam Bajwa (born 1989), Indian actress of Punjabi descent *

Sonam Bisht Sonam Bisht is an Indian beauty pageant and reality show contestant turned television actress. She hails from Dehradun and studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya Hathibarkala. In 2013 she was the first runner-up in the Miss Uttarakhand contest. She took ...

(), Indian actress from Uttarakhand * Sonam Kapoor (born 1985), Indian film actress and fashion icon *

Sonam Kinga Dasho Sonam Kinga is a Bhutanese politician and researcher at the Center for Bhutan Studies. He played the monk in the 2003 film ''Travellers and Magicians'', for which he is also credited as a dialogue coach. Sonam Kinga obtained his Ph.D and MA ...

(), Bhutanese actor * Sonam Lamba (born 1995), Indian actress from Chandigarh *

Sonam Lhamo Sonam Lhamo (born 1988) is a Bhutanese actress. She is best known for playing one of the leading roles in the 2003 film Travellers and Magicians. Lhamo plays a young hitchhiker Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a ...

(born 1988), Bhutanese actress *

Sonam Mukherjee Sonam Mukherjee (born Mumbai, India) is an Indian actress and fashion model. Mukherjee was a finalist at the I Am She-Miss Universe India beauty pageant in 2010. She made her acting debut in the Hindi film '' ?: A Question Mark'', released in ...

(, Indian actress from Mumbai * Sonam Tshering Lepcha (1928–2020), Indian folk musician from Sikkim * Soname Yangchen (born 1973), Tibetan singer and songwriter * Tenzing Sonam (born 1959), Tibetan film director

Politics and government

Sonom Sonom (died circa June 13–14, 1776) was a chieftain of the rGyalrong people in China. He was the lord-lama of Greater Jinchuan.Theobald, Ulrich. ''War Finance and Logistics in Late Imperial China: A Study of the Second Jinchuan Campaign (1771� ...

(died 1776), king of the rGyalrong people in China * Sonam Drakpa (1359–1408), regent of Central Tibet * Sonam Gyatso Lepcha (), Indian politician from Sikkim * Sonam Lama (born ), Indian politician from Sikkim * Sonam Pelzom (born ), Bhutanese politician * Sonam Topgay Dorji (1896–1953), Bhutanese politician * Sonam Topgyal (1940–2012), Kalön Tripa of the Central Tibetan Administration * Sonam Tobgye (born 1949), Bhutanese judge * Sonam Tshong (born 1958), Bhutanese diplomat * Sonam Venchungpa (), Indian politician from Sikkim * Sonam Wangchuk (born 1964), Indian Army veteran from Ladakh * Jalley Sonam (), Indian politician and trade unionist from Arunachal Pradesh

Sport

Sonam Bhutia Sonam Bhutia (born 26 January 1994) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Machhindra FC in the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League. Career Early career Born and brought up in Shotak, Sikkim, Sonam Bhutia is a prod ...

(born 1994), Indian footballer from Sikkim *

Sonam Chuki Sonam Chuki (born 7 April 1963), is a former Bhutanese archer who internationally represented Bhutan. Chuki competed for Bhutan at the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles in the Archery at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Women's individual, in ...

(born 1963), Bhutanese archer *

Sonam Gyatso (mountaineer) Sonam Gyatso (1923–1968) was an Indian mountaineer. He was the second Indian man, the seventeenth man in world and the first person from Sikkim to summit Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world. He was one of the nine summiters of ...

(1923–1968), Sikkimese mountaineer *

Sonam Tenzin Sonam Tenzin (born 20 October 1986) is a football player from Bhutan. He plays as forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association footb ...

(born 1986), Bhutanese footballer * Sonam Tobgay (born 1990), Bhutanese cricketer and footballer *

Sonam Wangyal Sonam Wangyal (born 1942) is a former Indian paramilitary personnel and mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest in 1965 at the age 23, making him the youngest summiter. He was one of the nine summiters of the first successful Indian Everest ...

(born 1942), Indian mountaineer from Sikkim known for scaling Mount Everest *

Sonam Yoezer Sonam Yoezer (born 24 October 1994) is a Bhutanese international footballer, currently playing for Thimphu City. He made his first appearance for Bhutan at the age of 18, in an SAFF Cup game against Sri Lanka on 6 September 2013. Yoezer played ...

(born 1994), Bhutanese footballer

Other

Sonam Dechen Wangchuck Princess ''Ashi'' Sonam Dechen Wangchuck (born 5 August 1981) is a princess of Bhutan. She is the daughter of the fourth King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck and his wife, Queen Mother ''Ashi'' Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. She is half-sister of the f ...

(born 1981), princess of Bhutan *

Sonam Dolma Brauen Sonam Dolma Brauen (born 1953) is a Tibetan-Swiss contemporary painter and sculptor. Life and career Early life Sonam Dolma was born in Kongpo, Tibet (today Kongpo, Gongbo'gyamda County, Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibetan Autonomous Region, Chin ...

, (born 1953), Tibetan-Swiss painter *

Sonam Lotus Sonam Lotus is the director of the India Meteorological Department, meteorological department, Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu & Kashmir. Lotus is owing to his precised weather predictions in the valley, he is also known as the "Saint ...

, Indian meteorologist from Ladakh *

Sonam Wangchuk (engineer) Sonam Wangchuk (born 1 September 1966) is an Indian engineer, innovator and education reformist. He is the founding-director of the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), which was founded in 1988 by a group of student ...

(born 1966), Indian engineer from Ladakh

References

{{given name Tibetan names