Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Sonny

Say it SUN-ee 2 syllables

English · “familiar form of address for a boy”

Common across the UK, Ireland, and Australia. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

1 in 139 boys born in Ireland in 2025. Number 28 there.

Sonny in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 8, rare in 20.
Sonny in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales45 (up)20251,1371 in 239812020
Scotland26 (up)20251371 in 143552020
Northern Ireland52 (up)2025411 in 2021392020
Ireland28 (up)20251711 in 139812020
North America
Ontario (province)306 (up)202444about 1 in 1,3617482019
Quebec (province)623 (up)20256about 1 in 4,8426372020
British Columbia (province)493 (up)20236about 1 in 2,1695982018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)40 (up)2025161672020
Victoria (state)43 (up)2025140652020
Queensland (state)37 (up)2025122632020
South Australia (state)47 (up)202533682020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
France1,745 (down)2025151 in 20,1791,2932020
Netherlands676 (up)202519about 1 in 3,5028692020
Central Europe
AustriaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
SwitzerlandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Berlin (city)950 (new in the list)20232about 1 in 7,755Not listed2018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)Rare: below the complete list2023Not listed2018
Bonn (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Leipzig (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
NorwayRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
SwedenRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Italy1,181 (new in the list)202461 in 31,560Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
PolandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Sonny began as a nickname rather than a formal name. The word sonny, made from son with a friendly -y ending, was a warm, old-fashioned way of addressing a boy, and over time it came to be given as a name in its own right. Occasionally it is also a pet form of the girls' name Sonia.

2 more paragraphs

SUN-ee has two soft syllables and an easy, cheerful sound, and Sune is a related form.

Sonny is now a firm favourite in Scotland, Ireland and Queensland, where it ranks inside the top 40. It is rising in many places and falling in none, and it also appears in the Netherlands, Italy and France, though in much smaller numbers. In France it was at its peak in the 1990s.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
SUN-ee · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“familiar form of address for a boy”
Origin
English
Related names
Sune
Where Sonny comes from (Wiktionary)

English male given name, originally a nickname for a male child: sonny (son + -y) is a dated familiar form of address for a boy. Also a female diminutive of Sonia.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Sonny. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sonny over time

Rising in 11 of the 12 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 0. Peak in France: 1994.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Sonny in England and Wales: #237 in 1996, rising to a peak of #45 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #237, 127 boys1997: #217, 149 boys1998: #203, 160 boys1999: #226, 135 boys2000: #179, 193 boys2001: #165, 214 boys2002: #156, 252 boys2003: #157, 285 boys2004: #126, 419 boys2005: #114, 484 boys2006: #112, 503 boys2007: #103, 580 boys2008: #108, 552 boys2009: #108, 560 boys2010: #111, 558 boys2011: #108, 590 boys2012: #90, 686 boys2013: #100, 630 boys2014: #95, 640 boys2015: #97, 670 boys2016: #116, 563 boys2017: #114, 555 boys2018: #99, 640 boys2019: #103, 620 boys2020: #81, 699 boys2021: #75, 762 boys2022: #69, 825 boys2023: #56, 955 boys2024: #51, 1,022 boys2025: #45, 1,137 boys#237 in 1996#45in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996237127
1997217149
1998203160
1999226135
2000179193
2001165214
2002156252
2003157285
2004126419
2005114484
2006112503
2007103580
2008108552
2009108560
2010111558
2011108590
201290686
2013100630
201495640
201597670
2016116563
2017114555
201899640
2019103620
202081699
202175762
202269825
202356955
2024511,022
2025451,137

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Sonny in France since 1925 were born in or after 1996. Peak: 1994, about 49 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0.2 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0.5 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 2 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 3.1 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 2.7 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 13.1 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 38.4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 24.1 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 17.9 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 13.3 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 10.9 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 7.3 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 6 per 100,000 boys20202025: 5 per 100,000 boys20251990-1994: about 1 in 2,606 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19590.2
1960–19640
1965–19690.5
1970–19742
1975–19793.1
1980–19842.7
1985–198913.1
1990–199438.4
1995–199924.1
2000–200417.9
2005–200913.3
2010–201410.9
2015–20197.3
2020–20246
20255

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Sonny

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Sonny, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 194, Ireland

  2. 1 in 99, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 913, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 731, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 143, Scotland

  6. 1 in 195, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 928, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 574, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 196, Scotland

  10. 1 in 159, Ireland

All 40 brother names for Sonny

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Sonny's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 62, Poland

  5. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 137, Scotland

  8. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Sonny Jack

Syllables 2-1Initials S.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Sonny

Sisters for Sonny: Summer, Gracie, Sadie, and 5 more
  1. SummerRose and fell with Sonny · As common as Sonny · Same initial as Sonny
  2. GracieRose and fell with Sonny · As common as Sonny
  3. SadieRose and fell with Sonny · As common as Sonny · Same initial as Sonny
  4. SavannahRose and fell with Sonny · English, like Sonny · Same initial as Sonny
  5. DaisyRose and fell with Sonny · English, like Sonny
  6. ScarlettRose and fell with Sonny · As common as Sonny · Same initial as Sonny
  7. HallieRose and fell with Sonny · As common as Sonny
  8. CallieRose and fell with Sonny · English, like Sonny

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Sonny

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Sonny's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

  3. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  4. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  5. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 18 more places.

  6. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

  8. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

Famous people named Sonny

Sonny Bill Williams, Sonny Perdue, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Sonny

How popular is Sonny in Scotland?

Sonny ranked #26 in Scotland in 2025, given to 137 boys, about 1 in 143.

Is Sonny rising in popularity?

Yes, in most of the places we can check. Rising in 11 of the 12 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 0. Rising in: Ontario, Northern Ireland, Ireland, England and Wales, Queensland, and 6 other regions.

What does Sonny mean?

Sonny means “familiar form of address for a boy”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Sonny have?

Sonny has 2 syllables: SUN-ee.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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