Bonanza
A descriptive word meaning a prosperous mine or source of wealth.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Bonanza. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bonanza today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bonanza births was 1960 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bonanza. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bonanza. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1960
7 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1960 SSA rank
#3,370
Tracked since 1960
Popularity
Bonanza: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bonanza 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 Bonanza during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bonanza
The name Bonanza is derived from the Spanish word "bonanza," which means "fair weather" or "prosperity." It is believed to have originated in the 16th century, during the time of Spanish colonization in the Americas.
The word "bonanza" was initially used to describe a period of calm and favorable weather conditions for sailing ships. Over time, it came to be associated with good fortune, success, and abundance, particularly in the context of mining and the discovery of valuable resources.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Bonanza can be found in the 1859 novel "The Luck of Roaring Camp" by Bret Harte, where it referred to a rich vein of gold discovered in the California Gold Rush. This literary reference helped popularize the name and its association with prosperity.
Historically, the name Bonanza has been used by a few notable individuals. One of the earliest examples is Bonanza Nellie Cashman (1844-1925), an American prospector and entrepreneur who became known as the "Angel of Tombstone" for her philanthropic efforts during the mining boom in the American West.
Another famous bearer of the name was Bonanza Ghul (1890-1965), an Afghan tribal leader and military commander who played a significant role in the Third Anglo-Afghan War. His name reflected his success and wealth as a powerful figure in the region.
In the realm of literature, Bonanza Bunker (1907-1995) was an American writer and poet known for her works that explored themes of nature and rural life. Her name, which she adopted as a pen name, signified her literary success and the abundance of her creative output.
Bonanza Jelks (1923-2007) was an African American civil rights activist and community leader who worked tirelessly for equal rights and social justice in the United States. His name symbolized the prosperity and progress he sought for his community.
Lastly, Bonanza Calhoun (1944-2020) was a notable American artist and sculptor, known for her large-scale public installations and her use of repurposed materials. Her name reflected the creative abundance and resourcefulness that characterized her artistic practice.
People
Bonanza + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bonanza 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
Bonanza: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bonanza?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bonanza 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Bonanza a common name?
We classify Bonanza as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bonanza most popular?
The single biggest year for Bonanza was 1960, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bonanza is about 63 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bonanza in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bonanza a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bonanza 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.
Is Bonanza still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bonanza in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bonanza can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Bonanza?
You can see how many Americans are named Bonanza on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.