Holding steady, #6,546 for girls today.
Popularity of Sonnet since 1972
Babies named Sonnet per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 78 |
| 1980s | 44 |
| 1990s | 14 |
| 2000s | 70 |
| 2010s | 95 |
| 2020s | 79 |
Meaning & origin
Sonnet is a rare and poetic name that draws directly from the literary term for a 14-line poem. First recorded in 1972, it saw a surge in 2024 when it reached its peak rank of 6,546, though it remains uncommon. With only 1 in 94,545 newborns receiving the name in 2025, Sonnet is a distinctive choice for parents drawn to artistic and lyrical names. Its usage has remained stable in the 2020s, neither reviving nor fading sharply. As a modern English coinage, Sonnet carries no strong historical or cultural baggage, instead offering a fresh, evocative sound reminiscent of other word-name trends like Lyric and Story. Without any top-state clustering, it appears sporadically across the country, making it a truly individualistic option.
Sonnet derives from the Italian word 'sonetto', meaning 'little song', via the French 'sonnet'. It entered English in the 16th century as a term for a specific poetic form popularized by Petrarch and Shakespeare. As a given name, Sonnet is a modern coinage, likely inspired by the word's lyrical and artistic associations.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Son, Soni, Nettie
Sibling names for Sonnet
Names that share Sonnet's style, for a brother or sister.
