Fun Facts About the Name Bon
- 274 babies named Bon: U.S. records list 274 babies given the name Bon from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Bon Mean?
As a personal name, Bon has two separate sources rather than one shared origin. The first is the French word bon, meaning "good," which comes from Latin bonus, also "good." The same Latin adjective lies behind Spanish bueno and Italian buono. In French, bon works mainly as an ordinary adjective, and it also appears in family names such as Bon and Le Bon, where it may have begun as a byname describing a person.
The second source is English shortening. Bon can serve as a clipped form of names that begin with those letters, especially Bonnie, a Scottish word meaning "pretty" or "fine," and the Spanish Bonita, also "pretty." This clipping is not related to the French word; the two paths simply arrive at the same spelling.
One unrelated use of the spelling should not be confused with the personal name. Bön (བོན) is the name of Tibet's pre-Buddhist religious tradition. The origin of that term is uncertain, and it is the name of a religion, not a person.
Bon Name History & Origins
French bon descends from Old French bon, from Latin bonus (also bonum), "good." Surnames taken from everyday adjectives were common in medieval France, so a byname bon could become fixed in a family and be passed down. The surnames Bon and Le Bon are found in French records, and in French-speaking areas personal names are sometimes drawn from such surnames.
In the English-speaking world, Bon is rare as a given name and is seen mostly as a nickname. The AC/DC singer Ronald Belford Scott (1946 - 1980) was known as Bon Scott; published accounts of where that nickname came from differ, with some connecting it to "Bonnie" and others to his Scottish background. The French nasal vowel in bon is normally replaced by an ordinary vowel when the word or surname is spoken in American English.
How Popular is the Name Bon?
Bon has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1988. Its best rank was #2,893 in 1938.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,300 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #10,929 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #12,516 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #12,475 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #9,998 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #12,771 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2006 | #8,821 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #9,049 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #9,396 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #5,698 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #7,650 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #9,426 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #7,221 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #5,976 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #7,881 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #6,287 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #5,277 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #5,561 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #4,189 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #7,044 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #3,089 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1987 | #3,357 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1986 | #4,501 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,203 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #3,123 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1983 | #5,561 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #4,642 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #4,442 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #3,883 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1945 | #3,384 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1939 | #3,538 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #2,893 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #3,324 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1930 | #3,319 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1928 | #3,104 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1926 | #4,272 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Bon Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Bon's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bon's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.