Given name & surname
Bonita
“a pretty and charming girl”
Bonita is a variant of Bonnie. One Scottish interpretation is “a pretty and charming girl.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Bonita is a variant of Bonnie. One Scottish interpretation is “a pretty and charming girl.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Spanish, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
Bonita is a feminine form of Spanish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1888. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Bonita is a variant of Bonnie. The history of Bonnie gives this family its wider story. The nickname Bonnie appears in Gone with the Wind as the familiar name of Scarlett O’Hara’s daughter, whose full name is Eugenie Victoria. The film may have helped the name spread; its use as a given name was especially associated with the United States rather than Scotland.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Bonita through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 37,854
- 12 boys · 37,842 girls
- Most popular year
- 1950
- 1,528 babies
- 2025
- 11
- #8,957 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 8,957 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 7.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,528 in 1950. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 27,867 as a first name in 2020; 349 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bonita’s family of names
Bonita has an affectionate form in Bonnie. Bonita is a feminine form of Spanish. Bonita has a related form in Bonnie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Bonita
- Bonita GranvilleAmerican actress (1923-1988)
- Bonita FriedericyAmerican actressborn 1961
- Bonita PietilaCasting director and producerborn 1953
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Bonita, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“daisy”
>99% girls
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“a woman graced with God's favor”
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Hermelinda
“bearing a powerful shield”
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Elenita
“the shining light”
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Cerise
“resembling the cherry”
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Francine
“woman from France; one who is free”
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Jeanie
“God is gracious”
>99% girls