Unisex name · English
Sunny
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: bright, cheerfulSunny is a gender-neutral name that comes from English and means "bright, cheerful". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Bright, cheerful
- Origin
- English
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #390 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Sunny
As a gender-neutral name, Sunny comes from English and means "bright, cheerful". It is used in English.
Its meaning puts Sunny on our names that mean light list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Sunny on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Sunny on 11 lists.
“For a bright yellow dart frog”
From Funny frog names, names for pet frogs by type
“Bright yellow and always cheerful”
From Bee names, cute bee names
“Bright, cheerful; English, a warm word name”
From Gender neutral names, nature and word names for any gender
“The Obama family's curly black Portuguese water dog”
From Girl dog names, famous real girl dogs
“For an always-cheerful grandma”
From Grandma names, cute grandma nicknames (family-made)
“Bright yellow, just like the morning”
From Banana names, cute banana names
“Full of sunshine, cheerful; English word name”
From Names that mean sun, unisex names that mean sun
“For a cheerful cat who soaks up every warm spot”
From Orange cat names, classic orange cat names
“Cheerful no matter how gray the walls are”
From Prison nicknames, funny prison nicknames
“Cheerful and always basking on a rock”
From Goat names, cute goat names
“Brightens every morning with a jar full of bubbles”
From Sourdough starter names, cute sourdough starter names
How popular is Sunny?
In 2025, 798 girls and 200 boys in the US were named Sunny.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #390
- 798 babies, 496 per million girls
- Best rank
- #370 in 2024
- 846 babies that year
- Babies since 1912
- At least 13,191
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 8 per million |
| 1920s | 11 per million |
| 1930s | 18 per million |
| 1940s | 35 per million |
| 1950s | 24 per million |
| 1960s | 22 per million |
| 1970s | 110 per million |
| 1980s | 88 per million |
| 1990s | 53 per million |
| 2000s | 62 per million |
| 2010s | 133 per million |
| 2020s | 393 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,175 | #983 | #873 | #793 | #691 | #642 | #553 | #406 | #370 | #390 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,078
- 200 babies, 117 per million boys
- Best rank
- #1,049 in 2024
- 211 babies that year
- Babies since 1900
- At least 4,506
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 8 per million |
| 1910s | 7 per million |
| 1920s | 6 per million |
| 1930s | 8 per million |
| 1940s | 7 per million |
| 1950s | 4 per million |
| 1960s | 4 per million |
| 1970s | 19 per million |
| 1980s | 28 per million |
| 1990s | 44 per million |
| 2000s | 33 per million |
| 2010s | 36 per million |
| 2020s | 98 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,025 | #2,265 | #1,918 | #1,542 | #1,469 | #1,357 | #1,235 | #1,117 | #1,049 | #1,078 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Sunny
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
Names with a similar meaning
- RobertBright fame (Germanic, boy)
- ClaraClear, bright (Latin, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
- LambertBright land (Germanic, boy)
- MurielBright sea (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- RobertaBright fame (Germanic, girl)
- AlbertNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertoNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- HubertBright heart (Germanic, boy)
- RobertoBright fame (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Sunny
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More names from English
- LilianaLatinate form of Lillian, probably from Elizabeth or Lily (English, girl)
- LilyLily flower (English, girl)
- SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
- AinsleyFrom a place named for a solitary or hermitage clearing (English, unisex)
- ArmstrongStrong in the arm (English, boy)
- CataleyaFrom cattleya, an orchid named for William Cattley (English, girl)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- HeatherHeather plant (English, girl)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- LillyVariant of Lily, the flower (English, girl)
Sunny: common questions
What does the name Sunny mean?
Sunny comes from English and means "bright, cheerful".
Is Sunny a boy or girl name?
Sunny is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 798 girls and 200 boys in the US were named Sunny, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Sunny come from?
Sunny comes from English and means "bright, cheerful". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Sunny?
Sunny ranked #390 in the US in 2025, with 798 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Sunny?
Names spelled like Sunny include Sonny, Sandy, Sanne, Sunday and Sanna.
What middle names go with Sunny?
Middle names that flow well with Sunny include Archer, Aurora, Constance, Estelle and Langston. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.