Sonny

Originated in the English language as an affectionate domestic descriptor for a young boy, drawn from either the noun son or the adjective sunny. It drifted onto American birth certificates as an independent legal name in the late nineteenth century, functioning as a shortcut around baptismal formality.

A Sonny carries the conversational warmth of an old neighborhood where everyone had a tab at the corner deli. For decades the name suggested an uncle who wore short sleeves in winter and owned a convertible with bench seats. In contemporary nurseries, however, it is entirely new again. Over a third of living bearers belong to Generation Alpha.