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Help[Opinions] Bonnie
I noticed that Bonnie is on the rise in the USA the last few years.
This is a mild surprise to me as Bonnie's last peak of use was in 1946. So it's starting to "come back" about 15 years before I would normally expect it to.
I realize Bonnie's rise began earlier in the UK and it's becoming fashionable there. I do see how it fits in with English tastes, where pet names like Rosie, Evie, and Millie are more likely to be put on birth certificates than they are in the USA.
Bonnie took a particularly big jump in the USA in 2017. That was the 50th anniversary of the famous film "Bonnie and Clyde" and also the year that PBS in the USA had an episode about the original criminals Bonnie and Clyde on its "American Experience" series. I must say that to me Bonnie Parker is definitely not a good role model!
My image of Bonnie goes back and forth between "elderly" and "too cute and insubstantial" so I wonder what younger people see in it.
This is a mild surprise to me as Bonnie's last peak of use was in 1946. So it's starting to "come back" about 15 years before I would normally expect it to.
I realize Bonnie's rise began earlier in the UK and it's becoming fashionable there. I do see how it fits in with English tastes, where pet names like Rosie, Evie, and Millie are more likely to be put on birth certificates than they are in the USA.
Bonnie took a particularly big jump in the USA in 2017. That was the 50th anniversary of the famous film "Bonnie and Clyde" and also the year that PBS in the USA had an episode about the original criminals Bonnie and Clyde on its "American Experience" series. I must say that to me Bonnie Parker is definitely not a good role model!
My image of Bonnie goes back and forth between "elderly" and "too cute and insubstantial" so I wonder what younger people see in it.
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I like it more than Connie, at least, and it does sound kind of retro the way Veronica "Ronnie" would.
I would guess it started sounding young to Americans because of The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017). Bonnie's a spunky teenage witch in that.
Plus Billie Eilish (debuted 2017) is popular, maybe that makes it seem approachable. Billie & Bonnie seem similar styles.
Other names it seems similar to, to me:
semi-popular: Penny, Lucy, Ruby, Maisie, Sadie, Hallie
less popular: Betty, Robin, Sally, Brenda, Nancy, Nellie
I would guess it started sounding young to Americans because of The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017). Bonnie's a spunky teenage witch in that.
Plus Billie Eilish (debuted 2017) is popular, maybe that makes it seem approachable. Billie & Bonnie seem similar styles.
Other names it seems similar to, to me:
semi-popular: Penny, Lucy, Ruby, Maisie, Sadie, Hallie
less popular: Betty, Robin, Sally, Brenda, Nancy, Nellie
This message was edited 3/25/2021, 12:04 AM
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I love it. I'll admit it took me a minute to warm up to it. I've known so many older ladies named Bonnie, it just felt elderly to me. And, as you say, it's making a comeback sooner than you'd expect. But I've pretty quickly come full circle on it and really like it.
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I like it
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I find it a bit inconsistent, the kind of name I can picture only on a small child or an old woman.
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Bonnie Blue Butler
This name is ruined for me. It doesn't matter that Bonnie was the name of the cute little girl in the Toy Story Sequels I will always remember it as the name of the bratty little girl in Gone With The Wind who died breaking her neck in a horseback riding accident after her father specifically told her several times to slow down. This fictional kid smh haha. And yeah it was sad she died too but her characterization was just "bratty 5 year old" that's it.
This name is ruined for me. It doesn't matter that Bonnie was the name of the cute little girl in the Toy Story Sequels I will always remember it as the name of the bratty little girl in Gone With The Wind who died breaking her neck in a horseback riding accident after her father specifically told her several times to slow down. This fictional kid smh haha. And yeah it was sad she died too but her characterization was just "bratty 5 year old" that's it.
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Childish and Informal.
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I know of two Bonnies in my age group! I wonder if it's more popular in Canada than elsewhere...
I could see how people might think of Bonnie as "cute and insubstantial" but the Bonnies I know are no joke. They are very serious people. Like a mix between granola hipsters and secretaries. They like things to be natural and believe in a certain universal order and goodness but wouldn't get silly about it. Supremely sensible "middle path" people. They even sorta look alike, with a kind of wholesome androgyny. It seriously fascinates me. I see it as a shy, sensible, homey name, because The Bonnies are both rather quiet people who love their home comforts.
I guess Bonnie has a kind of Jazz-age energy that people enjoy. It's sweet but also snappy.
I could see how people might think of Bonnie as "cute and insubstantial" but the Bonnies I know are no joke. They are very serious people. Like a mix between granola hipsters and secretaries. They like things to be natural and believe in a certain universal order and goodness but wouldn't get silly about it. Supremely sensible "middle path" people. They even sorta look alike, with a kind of wholesome androgyny. It seriously fascinates me. I see it as a shy, sensible, homey name, because The Bonnies are both rather quiet people who love their home comforts.
I guess Bonnie has a kind of Jazz-age energy that people enjoy. It's sweet but also snappy.
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In my opinion Bonnie will be huge (as in it could easily make the top 20 or even top 10).
I don't think it's surprising. It fits in perfectly with current trends. Some names come back a bit earlier because they fit into the new naming era, the 100 year cycle isn't always accurate. Robin will come back earlier too.
No, Bonnie Parker wasn't great, but she is often seen as cool and mysterious. People dress up as her for Halloween. I totally see why people like this mysterious 1930s aura the name has. Also Faye Dunaway was gorgeous in the movie. There's Bonnie Wright (Harry Potter) so that may play a role as well.
In my opinion it fits in perfectly with UK naming trends but also with US naming trends. I hear of more and more girls named Billie or Elsie every day.
I personally like the name but I think it is a bit cutesy so I have it reserved for my future dog (either Bonnie or Bailey for a boy). The meaning is nice too.
I don't get an elderly image at all. It is cute and young sounding. I see a young Faye Dunaway or Bonnie Wright.
I don't think it's surprising. It fits in perfectly with current trends. Some names come back a bit earlier because they fit into the new naming era, the 100 year cycle isn't always accurate. Robin will come back earlier too.
No, Bonnie Parker wasn't great, but she is often seen as cool and mysterious. People dress up as her for Halloween. I totally see why people like this mysterious 1930s aura the name has. Also Faye Dunaway was gorgeous in the movie. There's Bonnie Wright (Harry Potter) so that may play a role as well.
In my opinion it fits in perfectly with UK naming trends but also with US naming trends. I hear of more and more girls named Billie or Elsie every day.
I personally like the name but I think it is a bit cutesy so I have it reserved for my future dog (either Bonnie or Bailey for a boy). The meaning is nice too.
I don't get an elderly image at all. It is cute and young sounding. I see a young Faye Dunaway or Bonnie Wright.
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It's mildly cute but in a grandma kind of way, mostly. We once very briefly had a pet lamb named Bonnie. (They really don't make good pets unless you're actually into sheep, but they are so cute when they're little.)
I also think of Scarlett and Rhett's little girl Bonnie Blue Butler, who was adorable but also badly, badly spoiled and met a grisly death. Her real name was Eugenie Victoria after the empress but she was called Bonnie Blue after her blue eyes and also, probably, a very heavy-handed tribute to the fallen Confederacy. Not an especially classy thing to do.
I also think of Scarlett and Rhett's little girl Bonnie Blue Butler, who was adorable but also badly, badly spoiled and met a grisly death. Her real name was Eugenie Victoria after the empress but she was called Bonnie Blue after her blue eyes and also, probably, a very heavy-handed tribute to the fallen Confederacy. Not an especially classy thing to do.
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Bonnie Blue is cute
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True, I remember her as well! I think that is why Bonnie is youthful to me (Bonnie Blue, Bonnie Wright, young Faye Dunaway). It doesn't give me a grandma vibe at all. I have it reserved for my first female dog (Bailey for a boy).
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