Bonni
Feminine form of the masculine name Bonnie, derived from the French bonne meaning "good."
Name Census estimates that about 1,079 living Americans carry the first name Bonni. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bonni today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bonni births was 1964 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bonni. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 317,659 Americans
Peak year
1964
50 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,720
Tracked since 1940
Popularity
Bonni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bonni from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 423 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bonni 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 Bonni during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bonnis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Bonni, while Minnesota, Florida, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bonni
The name Bonni is a variant of the Germanic name Bonna, which is derived from the Old High German word "bunna," meaning "a swelling or hill." The name has its roots in ancient Germanic cultures and was initially used to refer to people who lived on or near hills or elevated areas.
The earliest known historical reference to the name Bonni can be traced back to the 8th century, where it appears in the Frankish Annals, a collection of historical records from the Carolingian dynasty. In these annals, a nobleman named Bonni is mentioned as a participant in a military campaign against the Saxons.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Bonni was Bonni of Clermont, a 9th-century Frankish noblewoman and abbess of the Monastery of Notre-Dame in Clermont, France. She was born around 810 and played a significant role in the religious and cultural life of the region during her time.
In the 12th century, Bonni of Pisa was an Italian mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the development of algebra and geometry. He is credited with introducing Arabic mathematics and scientific texts to Europe through his translations and writings.
Another notable figure with the name Bonni was Bonni of Strasbourg, a 13th-century German composer and music theorist. He was known for his work on the development of polyphonic music and his writings on musical theory.
In the 16th century, Bonni of Genoa was an Italian explorer and navigator who participated in several voyages of discovery in the Americas. He is credited with mapping parts of the Caribbean and South American coastlines.
It's worth noting that while the name Bonni has its roots in ancient Germanic cultures, it has been adopted and used in various forms across different regions and cultures throughout history. However, detailed historical records of the name's usage and popularity over time are limited, as many historical documents and records have been lost or incomplete.
People
Bonni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bonni 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
Bonni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bonni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,079 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bonni 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 317,659 US residents.
Is Bonni a common name?
We classify Bonni as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,412 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bonni most popular?
The single biggest year for Bonni was 1964, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bonni is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bonni a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bonni in the SSA data are female. 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.