Sunny
Sunny is a unisex name. It can be a given name, a surname, and a nickname, especially from names such as: Sana, Sunil, Sundeep, Sunita, Shams Suniel, or Suraj. Notable people with the name include:
- English
Meaning & Origin of Sunny
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Sunny is a unisex name. It can be a given name, a surname, and a nickname, especially from names such as: Sana, Sunil, Sundeep, Sunita, Shams Suniel, or Suraj. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Sunny
As a girl name
Sunny first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1912, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2026: 923 births, good for #336 nationwide. About 34% of every Sunny on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Sunny ranks #336 for girls with 923 births, rising sharply (+118% over the past five years). All told, over 14K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Sunny first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1900, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2026: 229 births, good for #986 nationwide. About 26% of every Sunny on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Sunny ranks #986 for boys with 229 births, rising sharply (+101% over the past five years). All told, over 5K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1900s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Sunny
Phonetically similar names — useful when Sunny is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sunny
What does the name Sunny mean?
What is the origin of the name Sunny?
How popular is Sunny in 2026?
When was Sunny most popular?
In which U.S. states is Sunny most popular?
Is Sunny a unisex name?
What names go well with Sunny?
About the name Sunny
Sunny is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 14K births in the dataset. Sunny's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #336. Use the chart and map above to compare Sunny's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2026 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.