unisex name
Sunny
SUN-ee
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 21,399
the United States
#389
2025 births
Sunny is a unisex name taken from the English word, from the Old English sunne. It began as a nickname for a cheerful person rather than as a name in its own right, and it doubles as a short form of Sonia, Sunniva and several other names.
- Sunny is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2024, when 1,057 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,322 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Sunny over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 11 |
| 1910s | 109 |
| 1920s | 193 |
| 1930s | 278 |
| 1940s | 610 |
| 1950s | 539 |
| 1960s | 467 |
| 1970s | 2,005 |
| 1980s | 2,031 |
| 1990s | 1,806 |
| 2000s | 1,808 |
| 2010s | 3,001 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,839 |
What Sunny means
Sunny means full of sunshine, and by extension cheerful or bright in temperament. The transferred sense is older than the name: calling a person sunny is recorded in English long before anyone was christened it.
Where Sunny comes from
Sunny comes from the Old English sunne, the sun, with the adjective ending. Its use for a person's disposition is recorded from the sixteenth century, and as a name it began as a nickname for someone of a bright temperament, which is how most nicknames become names. It also serves as a short form for Sonia, for the Norwegian Sunniva — from the Old English Sunngifu, sun-gift — and in Indian English as an independent given name unconnected to the English word. It appears in our records from 1900 and is used for girls and boys alike.
Sunny in use
Sunny charts in six of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2024, having appeared in the records since 1900.
How popular is Sunny?
In 2025, Sunny was given to 998 babies in the United States, ranking #389 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Sunny is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Sunny
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Sunny also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Sunny over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sunny in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Sunny
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Sunny — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Sunny
What does the name Sunny mean?
Full of sunshine, and by extension cheerful, from the Old English sunne.
What is the difference between Sunny and Sonny?
They are different words. Sunny is from the sun; Sonny is an affectionate term for a boy, from son.
Is Sunny a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, and used fairly evenly.
How popular is the name Sunny?
In 2025, Sunny was given to 998 babies in the United States, ranking #389 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Sunny?
Sunny has 2 syllables.
When was Sunny most popular?
Sunny peaked in 2024, when 1,057 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Sunny a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Sunny currently ranks #389 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.