Bonnie is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good).
Bonnie is a feminine Scottish name meaning “pretty.” It is either derived from the Scots word bonnie, translating to “pretty” or “beautiful,” or the French word bon, which means “good.” Alongside being an endearing first name, Bonnie is also used as a pet name for the charming Spanish moniker Bonita.
Pretty or beautiful. A pretty young women could be described as “a bonnie lass”, an attractive man as “a bonnie lad”.
Derived from the Middle French word 'bon' or 'bonne', which means 'good', the term 'bonnie' evolved in Scotland to denote something more than just good. It came to signify beauty, attractiveness, and all that is pleasing and charming. The French word "bonne", in turn, was derived from the Latin word "bonus".
Despite its provenance, Bonnie is a far more popular name in the US than in Scotland.
1 out of every 2,976 baby girls born in 2021 are named Bonnie.
Background. Bonnie Scotland was a bay horse who was sired by Iago out of Queen Mary by Gladiator. Although Iago was a relatively obscure sire, Queen Mary came to be one of the most influential mares of her time, founding thoroughbred family 10-a.
Meaning: Baby, Small child. Example: 'Aw, look et the bonnie wee bairn' Translation: 'Aw, look at the beautiful little baby'
Derived from the Lowland Scotch bonnie (beautiful, good-natured and cheerful). Alternatively, Bonny is a pet form of the Spanish Bonita (beautiful). Var: Bonni, Bonny. From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman.
Bonny is the older spelling. Bonnie started to take over in the 18th century and is more common now. No difference in meaning, it's just personal preference. There is also a tendency to use "bonnie" in Scots contexts and "bonny" in northern English contexts.
Bonnie is not classically short for anything. It's a Scottish word for pretty derived from the French word Bon. However, it could be used as a nickname for something like Siobhan or Bronwyn.
In contrast to Mc- and Mac-, found in both Ireland and Scotland, the prefix O' is unique to Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic word “ua,” also abbreviated as uí or Ó, meaning “grandson of.” Thus any name beginning with O' is without question an Irish patronymic.
The Ulster Scots (Ulster-Scots: Ulstèr-Scotch; Irish: Albanaigh Uladh), also called Ulster Scots people (Ulstèr-Scotch fowk) or, in North America, Scotch-Irish (Scotch-Airisch) or Scots-Irish, are an ethnic group in Ireland, who share a common history, culture and ancestry, and who may speak an Ulster Scots dialect of ...
The Scots Irish, also known as Scotch Irish (especially in USA) or Ulster Scots (especially in Northern Ireland), are an ethnic group found in the province of Ulster in the north of Ireland Genealogy.
Irish ancestry is by far the most common foreign ancestry in Scotland.
It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That is in turn derived from the Latin word "bonus" (good). The name can also be used as a pet form of Bonita.
Bonnie Scotland is a 1935 American film directed by James W. Horne and starring Laurel and Hardy. It was produced by Hal Roach for Hal Roach Studios. Although the film begins in Scotland, a large part of the action is set in British India.
Bonnie. This Scottish name carries a simple and peppy tone. It calls to mind the wildflowers and fields of Scotland itself, which is fitting since the name means “pretty.” This old-fashioned girl name grew in popularity when it was used as the nickname for Scarlett's daughter in the film Gone with the Wind.
Bonnie was a moderately popular girl's name in the late 19th century and into the turn of the 20th century. It hit the Top 100 list in 1928, but was most popular throughout the 1940s when she was ranked as the 34th most commonly used baby girl's name nationwide.
Bonnie Origin and Meaning
Bonnie is a word the Scots really do use for pretty, thus the root of this name, from the French bonne. Bonnie is teetering on the edge of a comeback right now, along with Betty and Bea one of the girls' names starting with Bthat are so far out they're heading back in, especially in the UK.
Along with Flora and Hector, other Scottish baby names popular far beyond Edinburgh include Esme, Elsie, Evan, Fiona, Graham, Logan, Lennox, and Maxwell. Blair, Cameron, Finley, and Rory are popular Scottish names that work for either gender.
BONNIE – A quintessential Scottish name that will never go out of fashion, Bonnie is the Scots word for beautiful, pretty, stunning and attractive. SENGA – The backwards spelling of Agnes, Senga is a traditional Scottish name that means pure and chaste.
Caledonia is an old Latin name for Scotland, deriving from the Caledonii tribe. It is unknown what name the Caledonians used of themselves, although it was possibly based on a Brythonic word for "hard" or "tough" (represented by the modern Welsh caled).