Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Sonny

Developed from “son”, Sonny is a nickname used for young boys. The English vocabulary word “son” came from the Proto-Germanic “sunuz” from the root “su-“ meaning “to give birth”. Son is essentially an English noun defining a male descendent. In the 19th century Sonny developed as either a term of endearment for a younger person or else a form of address to one who was considered inferior. In terms of usage as a given name, Sonny is akin to naming one’s baby Junior. These are names preferred by parents with an extremely non-traditional and relaxed naming style. Sonny is most popular (on a per capita basis) as a boy’s name in South Australia. It is also used as a boy’s given name in the United States and Canada. Although rare, Sonny is occasionally used on baby girls, perhaps influenced by the Disney sitcom “Sonny with a Chance” (starring Demi Lovato as Allison "Sonny" Munroe). Lastly, Sonny is also considered a pet form of Italian names Salvatore and Santino. Santino/Sonny was the eldest Corleone brother in Mario Puzo’s 1969 iconic novel “The Godfather” (see literary references below). Boy, talk about some polarizing references to the name Sonny. On the one hand we have the goofy and naïve female Disney character and on the other we have a ruthless Italian-American mobster character. Take your pick.

All About the Baby Name – Sonny

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME SONNY

Romance is the hallmark of the Six personality. They exude nurturing, loving, and caring energy. Sixes are in love with the idea of love in its idealized form - and with their magnetic personalities, they easily draw people toward them. Like the number Two personality, they seek balance and harmony in their life and the world at large. They are conscientious and service-oriented, and a champion for the underdog. These personalities naturally attract money and are usually surrounded by lovely material objects - but their human relationships are always primary. They thrive in giving back to others rather than being motivated by their own desires. This is when they achieve great things. Sixes are natural teachers, ministers and counselors.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME SONNY

Sonny has been used as a legal given name in its own right since 1927. Actually, it showed up on the American male naming charts before 1927 but so sporadically it was hardly noticeable. Still, this very informal name has been around a lot longer than most people would have guessed. For the most part, the 1930s and the 1970s/80s were the decades that Sonny experienced his highest usage in the United States. We think we know why. The 1930s marked a period of time in American music history known as the Big Band Era when jazz orchestras came to dominate popular style. There were quite a few jazz musicians known as Sonny giving the name a very jazzy, bluesy and be-bop quality. The 70s and 80s may have found inspiration in The Godfather character, the boxer Sonny Liston (who died in 1970) or the pop-star Sonny Bono. Today Sonny resides near the bottom on the Top 1000 list of available masculine names but he’s hanging in there pretty well. As a term of endearment Sonny is a sweet name. It also has quite a bit of musical currency if you look at the list of Famous People named Sonny below. It may be a bit too colloquial for everyone’s tastes, but there’s no denying his “sunny” disposition.

Quick Facts

ON SONNY

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

846

PRONUNCIATION:

SUN-ee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Young son

Characteristics

OF SONNY

Humanitarian

Community-minded

Family-oriented

Loving

Affectionate

Compassionate

Sensitive

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Sonny

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME SONNY

Santino “Sonny” Corleone is the oldest son of Don Vito Corleone in Mario Puzo’s 1969 bestseller, The Godfather, which provided the basis of the 1972 major motion picture by Francis Ford Coppola (followed by sequels in 1974 and 1990). Our idea of Sonny is brilliantly captured by James Caan in the role; he is as good-looking, entitled, cocky and brash as we had come to picture him. As the heir apparent to the don, Santino takes his role in the family very seriously. He is a good (if unfaithful) husband and father and loyal supporter of his father. Naturally, adhering to the romantic notion that the Mafia are merely “family” men, Santino is a soft spot when it comes to women and children, which serves his childishly brutal brother-in-law well for a while. Santino is also the reason why the family consigliere, Tom Hagen, had been adopted into the family as a boy. All this notwithstanding, Santino is ever ready to hold up the family’s honor and finances, and no act of violence is too dramatic for him to eschew in this pursuit. It all comes full circle for him while he is acting don; the opposing gangster Barzini’s men ambush him at a toll booth and riddle his body with bullets. And we, the audience, feel true sorrow along with Vito Corleone when he says: “Look how they massacred my boy.”

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME SONNY

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Sonny


Popular Songs

ON SONNY

Sonny Say You Will
a song by Alannah Myles

Sonny Cried
a song by Harry Connick, Jr.

Sonny Boy
a song by Hank Snow

Sonny
a song by Rod Stewart

Song for Sonny Liston
a song by Mark Knopfler

Famous People

NAMED SONNY

Charles "Sonny" Liston (boxer)
Salvatore "Sonny" Bono (musician/politician)
Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval (from rock band P.O.D.)
Sonny Moore (aka Skrillex, musician)
Wilfred "Sonny" Siebert (baseball player)
Sidney "Sonny" Hertzberg (basketball player)
Christian "Sonny" Jurgensen (football player)
Sonny James (country musician)
Saunders Terrell (aka Sonny Terry, blues musician)
Sonny Landreth (blues musician)
Sonny Boy Williamson (blues harmonica player and singer)
Sonny Boy Williamson II (blues harmonica player and singer)
Sonny Black (British acoustic guitarist)
Albert "Sonny" Cunha (Hawaiian musician)
Joseph “Sonny” Burke (big band leader)
Conrad "Sonny" Clark (jazz pianist)
George T. "Sonny" Cohn (jazz trumpeter)
William "Sonny" Criss (jazz musician)
Sonny Fortune (jazz musician)
Sonny Greer (jazz drummer with Duke Ellington’s band)
Sonny Payne (jazz drummer with Count Basie’s band)
Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (jazz saxophonist)
Warren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock (jazz guitarist)
Huey "Sonny" Simmons (jazz musician)
Edward "Sonny" Stitt (jazz saxophonist)

Children of Famous People

NAMED SONNY

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Sonny

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME SONNY

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Sonny