Bonita
Bonita was the 8957th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 11 babies. Its best year was 1950, when it ranked 181st with 1,528 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,275 places. More babies were named Bonita in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning "pretty" · Spanish
Say it buh-NEE-tuh /bəˈnitə/
- Rank in 2025
- #8,957 girls, down 1,979 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 11girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19501,528 babies
- Total since 1880
- 37,854babies recorded
What does the name Bonita mean?
Bonita is the Spanish word for "pretty" (feminine of bonito), ultimately from Latin bonus, "good". Wikipedia describes it as a woman's name of Spanish origin, and Wiktionary records it as a Spanish given name. In the US it was most common in the mid-20th century, peaking around 1950. Bonnie, from the Scots word for "pretty", is similar in sense but separate.
bonita (Spanish, “pretty (feminine)”)bonus (Latin, “good”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Spanish names, names that mean beautiful.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bonita', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Bonita (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Bonita
The usual nicknames for Bonita are Bonnie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Bonita in the last five years, 4703 were named Bonnie, against 1172 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonnie | Traditional | #396 | 3,292 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Bonitas go by each one.
Bonita popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 12 since 1955.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,957 | 11 |
| 2020 | #6,978 | 16 |
| 2010 | #6,421 | 20 |
| 2000 | #6,253 | 17 |
| 1990 | #1,893 | 74 |
| 1980 | #1,111 | 123 |
| 1970 | #566 | 321 |
| 1960 | #316 | 893 |
| 1950 | #181 | 1,528 |
| 1940 | #275 | 516 |
| 1930 | #455 | 219 |
| 1920 | #608 | 137 |
| 1910 | #681 | 39 |
| 1900 | #1,451 | 8 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Bonita, counting every spelling?
Bonita has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Bonita?
11 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bonita (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Bonita born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 750 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bonita.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bonita?
About 25,200 people born in the US named Bonita are alive today, with a median age of 71; half are between 63 and 77. That makes Bonita a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bonita: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bonita, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bonita · Sibling names for Bonita
Questions about the name Bonita
What does Bonita mean?
Bonita means “"pretty"” (Spanish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bonita?
Bonita was the 8957th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 11 babies. Its best year was 1950, when it ranked 181st with 1,528 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,275 places. More babies were named Bonita in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Bonita a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Bonita in the US.