Bonnie

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Bonnie

Gender: Feminine
Language: English
Etymology:
Bonnie is a Scottish adjective. It means “pretty,” or “lively,” and ultimately comes from the Latin “bon” (good).

Occasionally, Bonnie is used as a nickname for the name Bonita, taken from the Spanish word for “pretty.”

History:
Bonnie, a Scottish vocabulary word, was given as a nickname to Scottish heroes, most notably “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” or Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788), a claimant to the throne of England. Another “Bonnie” was “Bonnie Dundee” or John Graham of Dundee (1649-1689), another Jacobite leader. In early 19th century America, the name Bonnie can be found, albeit rarely, most often in families of Scottish heritage.

During the Civil War, however, one of the more popular of Confederate songs was the ditty “The Bonnie Blue Flag.” After the war, the name Bonnie increased dramatically in the South. By the early 20th century, it was quite common.

Many sources credit Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 Civil War novel Gone With the Wind (and especially the subsequent 1939 movie version) with popularizing the name Bonnie. In it, a young girl named Eugenie Victoria is given the nickname “Bonnie” because her eyes were “as blue as the bonnie blue flag.” The influence of the book and movie, however, appears to be rather exaggerated as the name Bonnie was already popular before the book’s publication.

Pronunciation: BON-nee.

Alternates: Bonie, Bonni, Bonny.

Famous Bearers:
Fictional Characters:
Bonnie Blue Butler (1936)
Daughter of Rhett and Scarlett in the novel Gone With the Wind.

Miscellaneous:
Bonnie Parker (1911-1934)
American bank robber.
Bonnie Blair (1964-)
American Olympic skater.

Singers and Entertainers:
Bonnie Raitt (1949-)
American singer.
Bonita “Bonnie” Langford (1964-)
British actress.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.223 % named Bonnie
0.004 % named Bonny

Popularity of Bonnie:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880: 449th most popular.
1881: 317th most popular.
1882: 418th most popular.
1883: 412th most popular.
1884: 349th most popular.
1885: 272nd most popular.
1886: 338th most popular.
1887: 274th most popular.
1888: 270th most popular.
1889: 289th most popular.
1890: 253rd most popular.
1891: 241st most popular.
1892: 232nd most popular.
1893: 239th most popular.
1894: 247th most popular.
1895: 243rd most popular.
1896: 217th most popular.
1897: 233rd most popular.
1898: 210th most popular.
1899: 218th most popular.
1900: 212th most popular.
1901: 215th most popular.
1902: 220th most popular.
1903: 210th most popular.
1904: 181st most popular.
1905: 188th most popular.
1906: 186th most popular.
1907: 192nd most popular.
1908: 188th most popular.
1909: 176th most popular.
1910: 183rd most popular.
1911: 181st most popular.
1912: 183rd most popular.
1913: 180th most popular.
1914: 174th most popular.
1915: 180th most popular.
1916: 185th most popular.
1917: 171st most popular.
1918: 178th most popular.
1919: 163rd most popular.
1920: 154th most popular.
1921: 151st most popular.
1922: 137th most popular.
1923: 126th most popular.
1924: 118th most popular.
1925: 107th most popular.
1926: 105th most popular.
1927: 100th most popular.
1928: 89th most popular.
1929: 87th most popular.
1930: 78th most popular.
1931: 73rd most popular.
1932: 64th most popular.
1933: 68th most popular.
1934: 59th most popular.
1935: 62nd most popular.
1936: 65th most popular.
1937: 64th most popular.
1938: 65th most popular.
1939: 61st most popular. — The spectacularly popular movie Gone With the Wind is released, featuring a little girl nicknamed “Bonnie.”
1940: 39th most popular.
1941: 33rd most popular. - Peak!
1942: 34th most popular.
1943: 34th most popular.
1944: 34th most popular.
1945: 35th most popular.
1946: 33rd most popular.
1947: 35th most popular.
1948: 34th most popular.
1949: 35th most popular.
1950: 33rd most popular.
1951: 37th most popular.
1952: 41st most popular.
1953: 45th most popular.
1954: 52nd most popular.
1955: 45th most popular.
1956: 51st most popular.
1957: 64th most popular.
1958: 63rd most popular.
1959: 71st most popular.
1960: 71st most popular.
1961: 75th most popular.
1962: 78th most popular.
1963: 84th most popular.
1964: 89th most popular.
1965: 90th most popular.
1966: 90th most popular.
1967: 102nd most popular.
1968: 116th most popular.
1969: 128th most popular.
1970: 130th most popular.
1971: 138th most popular.
1972: 157th most popular.
1973: 163rd most popular.
1974: 180th most popular.
1975: 188th most popular.
1976: 203rd most popular.
1977: 199th most popular.
1978: 226th most popular.
1979: 171st most popular.
1980: 166th most popular.
1981: 169th most popular.
1982: 198th most popular.
1983: 202nd most popular.
1984: 206th most popular.
1985: 221st most popular.
1986: 237th most popular.
1987: 259th most popular.
1988: 298th most popular.
1989: 327th most popular.
1990: 400th most popular.
1991: 455th most popular.
1992: 471st most popular.
1993: 555th most popular.
1994: 541st most popular.
1995: 600th most popular.
1996: 608th most popular.
1997: 652nd most popular.
1998: 728th most popular.
1999: 822nd most popular.
2000: 927th most popular.
2001: 907th most popular.
2002: N/A
2003: 974th most popular.
2004: N/A

Selected Sources:
The Internet Movie Database - For information on Colleen Moore
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990
The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, Mcleod and Freedman, 1995
The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 - For popularity stats 1880-Present