Total births
22,327
Boys' name · since 1888
Sonny
Sonny has 22,327 recorded births since 1888 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #336
- among boys today
- 22,327
- born since 1888
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Sonny is the #336 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 22,327 recorded since 1888.
Sonny has 22,327 recorded births among boys since 1888, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #336 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1888 to 2025.
- #336 among boys today
- 22,327 born since 1888
- 2020s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sonny is currently the #336 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 22,327 born since 1888, peaking in the 2020s.
- #336
- among boys today
- 22,327
- born since 1888
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Sonny vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#336
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
2020s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Sonny was born in this single decade.
2025
Single peak year
1,137 babies were named Sonny in 2025 - its busiest year on record.
How Sonny compares
22,327 Top 5% higher than 95% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sonny's all-time total is 61x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sonny | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 22,327 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,137 | 23 | 22,252 |
Sonny's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sonny splits its recorded history at 1959: 81% of all births land in the more recent half, 19% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1892 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 1,137 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sonny at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2025
Current rank
#336
Active since
1888
Sonny popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1888–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 1,137
- Annual births at peak, across 138 years of records
Sonny popularity over time - girls
1,029 total births recorded since 1942 (Sonny as girls' name)
Sonny by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Sonny's strongest decade.
4,944 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Sonny births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 7
1880s
7 births
- 1890s 32
1890s
32 births
- 1900s 87
1900s
87 births
- 1910s 183
1910s
183 births
- 1920s 386
1920s
386 births
- 1930s 1,084
1930s
1,084 births
- 1940s 1,201
1940s
1,201 births
- 1950s 1,309
1950s
1,309 births
- 1960s 1,413
1960s
1,413 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,517 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,288 births
- 1990s 1,838
1990s
1,838 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,232 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,806 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,944 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 4,944 births (22% of all-time use).
How Sonny compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Sonny's total volume
Sonny vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Sonny by state
Where Sonny concentrates geographically, total births since 1888
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,703 | 16.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,261 | 10.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 974 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 679 | 3.0% |
| #5 | Florida | | 652 | 2.9% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 609 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 538 | 2.4% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 448 | 2.0% |
California share of Sonny's total US births 16.6%
Even split
3,703 of 22,327 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Sonny appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sonny? ▼
22,327 babies have been named Sonny since 1888. It currently ranks #336 among boys. The peak year was 2025 with 1,137 births.
When was Sonny most popular? ▼
Sonny was most popular in the 2020s decade with 4,944 total births. The single peak year was 2025.
Where is Sonny most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sonny are California (3,703 births), Texas (2,261 births), New York (974 births).
How long has the name Sonny been used? ▼
Sonny has been recorded in Social Security data since 1888, spanning 138 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Sonny? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Son, Sonnie, Sony, Sonia, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Sonny's data
- California records the most Sonnys (3,703 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sonny
Nearby Names Like Sonny
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sonny
Son Boy
1,061 births
Sonnie Boy
#4897 879 births
Sony Boy
287 births
Sonia Boy
279 births
Sonya Boy
182 births
Compare Sonny side by side: Sonny vs Son Sonny vs Sonnie Sonny vs Sony
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sonny
Colin #335
133,706 births · Peak 2004
Mathias #337
15,544 births · Peak 2025
Shiloh #334
9,414 births · Peak 2025
Ezequiel #338
20,811 births · Peak 2024
Erick #333
79,463 births · Peak 2007
Sullivan #339
15,635 births · Peak 2025
Archie #332
56,244 births · Peak 2025
Joaquin #340
35,601 births · Peak 2008
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1888–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sonny: #336 Boys' Name - 22,327 Births, Peak 2025." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sonny. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sonny draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.