UK girl's name
Bonnie
Bonnie is a feminine name derived from the word "bonnie" meaning "pretty" or "attractive" in Scottish.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Bonnie is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Bonnie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #16, with 1,583 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 1,583 births.
This profile covers 12,149 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Bonnie is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 13,642 living people in the UK are called Bonnie. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Bonnie ranked #16 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 1,583 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 1,583 girls were registered as Bonnie.
- • Bonnie ranks best in South West in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #7 in 2024.
- • About 13,642 living people in the UK are estimated to have Bonnie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#16
2024
Births in 2024
1,583
Latest year
Peak year
2024
1,583 births
Estimated living
13,642
2026
Meaning
What does Bonnie mean?
The name Bonnie has its origins in the Scottish language, derived from the French word "bonne," meaning "good." It is believed to have first emerged as a given name in Scotland during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name Bonnie was initially used as a descriptive term, referring to a person's attractive or pleasing appearance or demeanor. Over time, it transitioned into a popular given name, particularly in Scottish and English-speaking regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bonnie can be found in the famous Scottish folk ballad "The Bonnie Earl o' Moray," which dates back to the late 16th century. The ballad tells the story of George Gordon, the 6th Earl of Huntly, who was known as "The Bonnie Earl" due to his handsome appearance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Bonnie. One of the most famous was Bonnie Parker (1910-1934), an American criminal who, along with her partner Clyde Barrow, gained notoriety during the Great Depression as part of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde gang.
Another well-known Bonnie was Bonnie Raitt (born 1949), an acclaimed American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. She has won multiple Grammy Awards and is known for her influential contributions to the blues and roots rock genres.
In literature, the name Bonnie appears in the novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, as the name of one of the main characters, Bonnie Butler, the daughter of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler.
Other notable individuals with the name Bonnie include Bonnie Blair (born 1964), an American speed skater who won multiple Olympic gold medals, and Bonnie Langford (born 1964), an English actress and dancer known for her roles in various musicals and television shows.
While the name Bonnie has Scottish roots, it has gained popularity worldwide and has been embraced by various cultures, particularly in English-speaking countries, as a name that conveys a sense of beauty, goodness, and charm.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Bonnie over time
The chart below shows babies named Bonnie registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Bonnie, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 1,583 births in 2024, compared with 1,583 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bonnie by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Bonnie was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #32 | 6,213 | 5 |
| 2010s | #147 | 4,428 | 10 |
| 2000s | #354 | 1,141 | 10 |
| 1990s | #365 | 367 | 4 |
Geography
Where Bonnie is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Bonnie. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Bonnie ranks best in South West in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #7 in 2024.
Across the UK
Bonnie in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#11 in 2024
42 years of NRS records, 1,193 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#28 in 2024
21 years of NISRA records, 362 total registered
Related
Names similar to Bonnie
- Bethany 43,226
- Brooke 18,370
- Bella 14,112
- Beatrice 11,306
- Bethan 7,968
- Beth 6,440
- Betsy 5,065
- Beatrix 4,317
- Billie 4,220
- Beau 3,231
- Bryony 3,167
- Belle 2,852
FAQ
Bonnie: questions and answers
How popular is the name Bonnie in the UK right now?
In 2024, Bonnie was ranked #16 for girls in England and Wales, with 1,583 births registered.
When was Bonnie most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 1,583 babies registered as Bonnie in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Bonnie?
Bonnie is a feminine name derived from the word "bonnie" meaning "pretty" or "attractive" in Scottish.
How many people are called Bonnie in the UK?
A total of 12,149 babies have been registered as Bonnie across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,193 more in Scotland and 362 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Bonnie most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Bonnie ranks best in South West, where it placed #7 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.