Soraya (ثریا / ثرية) is the Persian and Arabic name for the Pleiades — the small star cluster known to Western astronomy as the Seven Sisters. The name has been a feminine given name in Persian-speaking countries for at least a thousand years, often given to daughters with a wish for them to shine.
Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari was the second wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. After their divorce in 1958, she became a tragic figure in European tabloid culture. The name has carried that mix of glamour and melancholy ever since. Three syllables, a constellation, and one of the most beautiful Persian-origin names.
Soraya reduces to five — the number of curiosity, freedom, and far-ranging spirit.