How to say it
BON · nie
ˈbɒn.i
Feminine
Bonnie
Pretty, fine
What it means
Scottish, 'pretty,' 'fine,' or 'attractive,' from the French bon and bonne, 'good.'
Bonnie is the Scots word for 'pretty' or 'fine,' borrowed from the French bon, 'good,' as in a 'bonnie lass.' Margaret Mitchell gave it to Bonnie Blue Butler in Gone with the Wind, and history gave it the outlaw Bonnie Parker of Bonnie and Clyde. It reads cheerful and vintage, riding back in with the old nickname names. Bon is the short.
How to spell Bonnie
The standard spelling is Bonnie. Common variants include Bonny, Bonnee, Bonita, but Bonnie is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
peaked at #33 in 1941, currently #396 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Bonnie and Clyde, and Bonnie Blue Butler of Gone with the Wind.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Bonnie Raitt American blues and rock singer-guitarist
- Bonnie Parker of the outlaw duo Bonnie and Clyde
Spelling variants
- Bonny
- Bonnee
- Bonita
Names with the same feeling
See Bonnie from another angle
By meaning
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Bonnie mean?
- Scottish, 'pretty,' 'fine,' or 'attractive,' from the French bon and bonne, 'good.'
- What does Bonnie mean in Scottish?
- In Scottish, Bonnie means "Pretty, fine." Bonnie is the Scots word for 'pretty' or 'fine,' borrowed from the French bon, 'good,' as in a 'bonnie lass.' Margaret Mitchell gave it to Bonnie Blue Butler in Gone with the Wind, and history gave it the outlaw Bonnie Parker of Bonnie and Clyde. It reads cheerful and vintage, riding back in with the old nickname names. Bon is the short.
- How do you pronounce Bonnie?
- Bonnie is pronounced ˈbɒn.i. Say it as BON-nie, with the stress on the "bon" syllable.
- How do you spell Bonnie?
- The standard spelling is Bonnie. Common spelling variants include Bonny, Bonnee, Bonita.
- Is Bonnie a boy or girl name?
- Bonnie is traditionally a feminine name.
- How popular is the name Bonnie?
- Bonnie ranked #396 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.