Bonnielee
Scottish given name combining "bonnie" meaning beautiful and "lee" meaning meadow.
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Bonnielee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bonnielee today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bonnielee births was 1943 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bonnielee. 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
- • The typical person named Bonnielee is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bonnielees were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bonnielee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
1943
13 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1950 SSA rank
#5,377
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Bonnielee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bonnielee from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 40 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bonnielee 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 Bonnielee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bonnielees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bonnielee
The name Bonnielee is a unique and intriguing combination of two distinct words – "bonnie" and "lee." The etymology of this name can be traced back to Scotland, where the word "bonnie" is derived from the Middle English term "bony," meaning beautiful or attractive. This adjective was commonly used to describe a person's physical appearance or a pleasing natural scenery. The word "lee" has its roots in Old English and refers to a sheltered area or a place protected from the wind.
While the exact origin and history of Bonnielee as a single name are somewhat unclear, it is believed to have emerged as a creative fusion of these two words in the 19th century. Some sources suggest that the name may have been inspired by the picturesque landscape of Scotland, where the combination of "bonnie" and "lee" could evoke the image of a beautiful, sheltered glen or a charming, secluded valley.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Bonnielee was Bonnielee Decker (1885-1964), an American educator and pioneer in the field of early childhood education. She founded the Bonnielee Nursery School in Los Angeles, California, which was among the first preschools in the United States to incorporate the principles of progressive education.
Another notable figure bearing this name was Bonnielee Curry (1919-2009), an American actress and singer who appeared in several Broadway productions and Hollywood films during the 1940s and 1950s. She was known for her roles in musicals such as "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."
In the literary world, Bonnielee Bellotti (1932-2008) was an American author and poet who published numerous works, including "The Poet's Ear" and "Heartwood," which explored themes of nature, spirituality, and human relationships.
Bonnielee Calhoun (1948-2020) was a renowned American artist known for her intricate and colorful paintings that celebrated the beauty of nature and the human form. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the United States.
Lastly, Bonnielee Hunsberger (1955-present) is an accomplished American singer and songwriter who has released several albums and performed extensively in various genres, including folk, country, and Americana music.
These individuals, spanning various fields and time periods, have contributed to the rich tapestry of the name Bonnielee, each adding their unique stories and achievements to its legacy.
People
Bonnielee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bonnielee 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
Bonnielee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bonnielee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bonnielee 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 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Bonnielee a common name?
We classify Bonnielee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 50 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bonnielee most popular?
The single biggest year for Bonnielee was 1943, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bonnielee is about 80 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 Bonnielee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bonnielee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bonnielee 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.
Is Bonnielee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bonnielee 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 Bonnielee 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 common is the name Bonnielee?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Bonnielee, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.