Vonita
Derived from the Spanish name Bonita, meaning "beautiful" or "pretty one".
Name Census estimates that about 260 living Americans carry the first name Vonita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vonita today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vonita births was 1963 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vonita. 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
260
~ 1 in 1,318,286 Americans
Peak year
1963
18 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1983 SSA rank
#12,026
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Vonita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vonita from the 1920s through to the 1980s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 101 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
Vonita 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 Vonita 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 Vonita
The name Vonita is a modern creation that appears to have originated in the English-speaking world, likely in the United States, in the late 19th or early 20th century. It does not seem to have any clear linguistic origins or roots in other languages or cultures.
It is possible that the name Vonita was inspired by or derived from the German name Vondel, which was a surname referring to someone who lived near a pond or pool of water. However, this connection is tenuous, and there is no definitive evidence linking the two names.
Vonita does not appear to have any significant historical references or mentions in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the 20th century. This is likely due to its relatively recent creation and use as a given name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Vonita was Vonita McGee, an American actress born in 1942. She appeared in several films and television shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including "Blacula" and "Hammer."
Another notable person named Vonita was Vonita Munson, an American actress and model who lived from 1892 to 1965. She was a popular leading lady in silent films during the 1920s and worked with directors like D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille.
In the world of sports, Vonita Foster was an American basketball player who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. She played for the United States women's national basketball team and won a silver medal.
Vonita Willoughby was a pioneer in the field of nursing education. Born in 1928, she was the first African American to receive a doctorate in nursing from the University of Colorado and made significant contributions to improving healthcare for underserved communities.
Vonita Murray was an American singer and actress who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. She appeared in several films and television shows, including "The Buddy Holly Story" and "The Donna Reed Show."
While the name Vonita does not have a rich historical background or deep cultural roots, it has been used by several notable individuals in various fields, particularly in the United States during the 20th century.
People
Vonita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vonita as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vonita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vonita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 260 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vonita 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 1,318,286 US residents.
Is Vonita a common name?
We classify Vonita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 394 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vonita most popular?
The single biggest year for Vonita was 1963, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vonita is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vonita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vonita 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.