girls' name ★ peaked 1947

Bonnie

Meaning fine, beautiful Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #396 Trend ↑ Rising 60%

Originally an American nickname from Scottish bonnie (“fine, beautiful”).

Rank 2025
#396
among girls · ↑47 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
785
named Bonnie · +12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,047
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1947
10,285 babies
All-time total
332,712
#120 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Bonnie popularity over time

332,712 babies have been named Bonnie since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 401 42 443 44 – #272
1890s 1,343 102 1,445 145 +226% #210
1900s 2,496 136 2,632 263 +82% #177
1910s 8,335 500 8,835 884 +236% #163
1920s 23,172 713 23,885 2,389 +170% #86
1930s 35,803 768 36,571 3,657 +53% #58
1940s 86,886 714 87,600 8,760 +140% #33
1950s 83,013 492 83,505 8,351 -5% #33
1960s 45,088 280 45,368 4,537 -46% #71
1970s 16,673 141 16,814 1,681 -63% #130
1980s 12,099 114 12,213 1,221 -27% #166
1990s 4,422 30 4,452 445 -64% #379
2000s 2,059 – 2,059 206 -54% #895
2010s 3,112 – 3,112 311 +51% #646
2020s (to 2025) 3,773 5 3,778 630 +102% #396

Where Bonnie is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 850 0.53 #359
2027 910 0.57 #337
2028 964 0.60 #316
2029 1,012 0.63 #301
2030 1,055 0.66 #292

Where Bonnie is most popular

Girls named Bonnie per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.406 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, Idaho, and Utah.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Bonnie born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Montana 18 1.33 +228%
Idaho 38 1.14 +180%
Utah 91 1.09 +169%
Arkansas 52 0.984 +142%
Oklahoma 72 0.978 +141%
Mississippi 44 0.941 +132%
Tennessee 142 0.896 +121%
Missouri 108 0.896 +121%
Oregon 53 0.814 +101%
Nevada 37 0.797 +96%
Alabama 72 0.767 +89%
New Mexico 18 0.740 +82%
Kansas 41 0.711 +75%
Colorado 79 0.708 +74%
Washington 102 0.706 +74%
Indiana 97 0.691 +70%
Nebraska 23 0.640 +58%
Louisiana 53 0.606 +49%
Texas 479 0.596 +47%
Kentucky 50 0.585 +44%
South Dakota 8 0.560 +38%
Arizona 77 0.549 +35%
Georgia 116 0.511 +26%
North Carolina 116 0.509 +26%
South Carolina 45 0.501 +23%
Michigan 85 0.467 +15%
Minnesota 48 0.445 +10%
Iowa 25 0.428 +5%
Ohio 100 0.421 ≈ national
California 354 0.421 ≈ national
Wisconsin 41 0.398 ≈ national
Virginia 65 0.381 -6%
Illinois 79 0.345 -15%
Maryland 35 0.330 -19%
Florida 115 0.269 -34%
New York 82 0.207 -49%
Pennsylvania 47 0.199 -51%
New Jersey 29 0.161 -60%
Massachusetts 12 0.099 -76%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -79%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Bonnie

Bonnie is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #396 in 2025 with 785 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 332,712 American babies have been named Bonnie. Its peak came in 1947, when 10,285 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Bonnie stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bonnie?

The median living Bonnie is about 70 years old; half are between 60 and 77. An estimated 218 thousand people named Bonnie are alive in the United States today.

median 70 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Bonnie year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 785 #396 – –
2024 704 #443 – –
2023 607 #502 5 #12,501
2022 592 #527 – –
2021 604 #512 – –
2020 481 #606 – –
2019 450 #646 – –
2018 420 #691 – –
2017 416 #699 – –
2016 312 #897 – –
2015 323 #865 – –
2014 318 #867 – –
2013 237 #1,045 – –
2012 225 #1,097 – –
2011 222 #1,112 – –
2010 189 #1,263 – –
2009 173 #1,375 – –
2008 184 #1,334 – –
2007 168 #1,416 – –
2006 186 #1,283 – –
2005 190 #1,203 – –
2004 201 #1,135 – –
2003 248 #945 – –
2002 219 #1,003 – –
2001 255 #895 – –
2000 235 #920 – –
1995 387 #589 – –
1990 694 #379 10 #5,029
1985 1,176 #221 10 #4,079
1980 1,710 #166 13 #3,277
1975 1,345 #188 18 #2,374
1970 2,747 #130 16 #2,308
1965 4,130 #89 26 #1,517
1960 6,389 #71 41 #1,230
1955 8,637 #45 40 #1,183
1950 9,746 #33 54 #935
1945 7,745 #35 58 #819
1940 5,957 #39 66 #759
1935 3,610 #62 77 #688
1930 3,265 #78 72 #749
1925 2,532 #107 71 #780
1920 1,515 #154 66 #826
1915 939 #180 63 #757
1910 374 #183 18 #712
1905 264 #188 23 #464
1900 220 #212 19 #559
1895 129 #243 12 #609
1890 98 #252 9 #670
1885 53 #272 7 #771
1880 14 #452 – –

Famous people named Bonnie

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Bonnie Tyler Bonnie Tyler Welsh singer (1951–2026) Contemporary
  2. 2 Bonnie Wright Bonnie Wright English actress and filmmaker (born 1991) Contemporary
  3. 3 Bonnie Bedelia Bonnie Bedelia American actress (born 1948) Contemporary
  4. 4 Bonnie Hunt Bonnie Hunt American actress, comedian, writer and director (born 1961) Contemporary
  5. 5 Bonnie Rotten Bonnie Rotten American pornographic film actress and model (born 1993) Contemporary
  6. 6 Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Raitt American singer-songwriter (born 1949) Contemporary
  7. 7 Bonnie Bartlett Bonnie Bartlett American actress (born 1929) Contemporary
  8. 8 Bonnie Franklin Bonnie Franklin American actress (1944–2013) Contemporary
  9. 9 Bonnie Somerville Bonnie Somerville American actress (born 1974) Contemporary
  10. 10 Bonnie Blair Bonnie Blair American speed skater (born 1964) Contemporary
  11. 11 Bonnie McKee Bonnie McKee American singer-songwriter and actress (born 1984) Contemporary
  12. 12 Bonnie J. Dunbar Bonnie J. Dunbar American astronaut (born 1949) Contemporary
  13. 13 Bonnie "Prince" Billy Bonnie "Prince" Billy American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1970) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Bonnie, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Bonnie?

The median living Bonnie is about 70 years old. Half of all living Bonnies are between 60 and 77 years old.

How many people named Bonnie are alive today?

An estimated 218 thousand people named Bonnie are alive in the United States, based on 332,712 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Bonnie mean?

Originally an American nickname from Scottish bonnie (“fine, beautiful”).

How popular is the name Bonnie in 2025?

Bonnie ranked #396 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 785 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bonnie?

332,712 babies have been named Bonnie in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bonnie most popular?

Bonnie peaked in 1947, when 10,285 newborns received the name.

Is Bonnie a boy or girl name?

Bonnie is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bonnie rising or falling?

Bonnie is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Bonnie become more popular?

Bonnie is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,055 girls named Bonnie in 2030, which would rank around #292. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Bonnie?

Well-known people named Bonnie include Bonnie Tyler (singer), Bonnie Wright (actor), Bonnie Bedelia (actor).

Names like Bonnie

Names that sound and feel close to Bonnie: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Bonnie with similar names → More names starting with B →