Bon
A French name meaning "good" or "kind".
Name Census estimates that about 227 living Americans carry the first name Bon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bon today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bon births was 1988 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bon. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
227
~ 1 in 1,509,931 Americans
Peak year
1988
17 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2016 SSA rank
#10,929
Tracked since 1926
Popularity
Bon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bon from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 85 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bon by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bon
The given name Bon is a diminutive of the French masculine name Bonnet, which means "good" or "kind." It originated from the Old French word "bon," derived from the Latin word "bonus," meaning "good." The name has been used in various parts of Europe, particularly in France, since the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bon can be found in the 12th-century French epic poem "La Chanson de Roland" (The Song of Roland), where a character named Bon is mentioned. In the 14th century, a French poet and composer named Guillaume de Machaut wrote a musical composition titled "Bon Jour, Bon Mois, et Bonne Estrenne" (Good Day, Good Month, and Good New Year).
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Bon. One of the most famous was Bon Gaultier (c. 1590-1668), a French satirist and poet who was known for his witty and humorous works. Another notable figure was Bon de Lezardière (c. 1615-1677), a French naval officer and explorer who led expeditions to the Caribbean and North America.
In the 18th century, Bon-André Blondel (1741-1784) was a French architect and engineer who made significant contributions to the design of bridges and other structures. In the 19th century, Bon-Joseph Dacier (1742-1833) was a French philologist and scholar who specialized in the study of ancient Greek literature.
More recently, in the 20th century, Bon Scott (1946-1980) was the legendary lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC, known for his powerful vocals and charismatic stage presence. Despite his untimely death at the age of 33, he left a lasting impact on the music industry and is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock singers of all time.
People
Bon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 227 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bon going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,509,931 US residents.
Is Bon a common name?
We classify Bon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 269 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bon most popular?
The single biggest year for Bon was 1988, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bon is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bon in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.