Sonny is a common

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

and occasional

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in North America, amongst Italian Americans), or the Slavic male name Slavon meaning "famous or glorious". Notable people with the name include:

Athletes

*Charles Sonny Ates (1935–2010), retired American racecar driver *Erwin

Sonny Bishop Ervin Wilfred "Sonny" Bishop (born October 1, 1939 in Winner, South Dakota) is a former college and Professional Football player. An offensive lineman, he played college football at Fresno State University, and played professionally in the Ameri ...

(born 1939), American football player *Shin'ichi Sonny Chiba (born 1939), Japanese martial artist and actor * Sonny Gray (born 1989), American baseball pitcher * Sidney "Sonny" Hertzberg (1922–2005), American basketball player * Sonny Holland (1938-2022), American football coach and player *Ernest Sonny Hutchins (1929–2005), stock car driver *Christian Sonny Jurgensen (born 1934), American Hall-of-Fame National Football League quarterback *

Sonny Liles Elvin Maerle "Sonny" Liles (August 9, 1919 – July 25, 2005) was an American football guard who played three seasons in the National Football League with the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Rams. He played college football at Oklahoma A&M College a ...

(1919–2005), American football player *Charles Sonny Liston (c. 1930–1970), American heavyweight boxer *Robert Sonny Parker (born 1955), American former basketball player *Wilfred

Sonny Siebert Wilfred Charles "Sonny" Siebert (born January 14, 1937) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher from 1964 to 1975. He finished with a record of 140-114 and a 3.21 ERA. He threw a no-hitter on June 10, 1966, against the Washington ...

(born 1937), American former baseball pitcher *Jan Sonny Silooy (born 1963), Dutch former footballer *Anderson da Silva (born 1970), known as Sonny Anderson, Brazilian retired footballer * Sonny Weems (born 1986), American expatriate basketball player * Sonny Bill Williams (born 1985), New Zealand former rugby league and rugby union player

Jazz musicians

*Saul Sonny Berman (1925–1947), American trumpeter *Joseph Sonny Burke (1914–1980), American big band leader *Conrad Sonny Clark (1931–1963), American pianist *George Sonny Cohn (1925–2006), American trumpeter *William Sonny Criss (1927–1977), American saxophonist *Francis Sonny Dallas (1931–2007), American bassist * Sonny Fortune (1939–2018), American saxophonist and flautist *Herbert Sonny Greenwich (born 1936), Canadian guitarist * Sonny Greer (1895–1982), American drummer *Percival Sonny Payne (1926–1979), American drummer *

Sonny Red Sylvester Kyner Jr. (December 17, 1932 – March 20, 1981), known as Sonny Red, was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer associated with the hard bop idiom among other styles. Sonny Red played with Art Blakey, Curtis Fuller, Paul Q ...

(1932–1981), American alto saxophonist *Walter Theodore

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

(born 1930), American saxophonist *Warren Sonny Sharrock (1940–1994), American guitarist *Huey Sonny Simmons (1933–2021), American saxophonist and English horn player * Sonny Stitt (1924–1982), American saxophonist born Edward Boatner, Jr.

Other musicians

Sonny Double 1 Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a British long-distance runner. His ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) make him the most successful male track distance runner ever ...

, Welsh rapper * Sonny Black, English singer/songwriter born William Boazman * Salvatore Sonny Bono (1935–1998), American singer, record producer and politician * Albert Sonny Burgess (1929–2017), rockabilly singer and guitarist * Edwin Sonny Chillingworth (1932–1994), slack-key guitar player from Hawaii *

Albert "Sonny" Cunha Sonny Cunha, full name Albert Richard Cunha (October 1, 1879 – January 23, 1933) was an American composer, bandleader, pianist, singer, politician and entrepreneur. He was the first to popularize ''hapa haole'' music, a type of Hawaiian music wit ...

(1879–1933), Hawaiian composer *

Sonny Curtis Sonny Curtis (born May 9, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for his collaborations with Buddy Holly, he was a member of the Crickets and continued with the band after Holly's death. Curtis's best known compositions include "Walk ...

(born 1937), country and pop singer-songwriter * Sonny Digital (born 1991), American record producer, rapper, and DJ. * Sonny Emory (born 1962), freelance touring and studio drummer * Sonny James (1928–2016), stage name of American country music singer James Hugh Loden * Sonny Kay (born 1972), founder of the record label Gold Standard Laboratories * Sonny King (singer) (1922–2006), American lounge singer born Luigi Antonio Schiavone * Clyde Sonny Landreth (born 1951), American blues guitar player * Sonny Moore (born 1988), better known as Skrillex, American songwriter and electronic music producer *

Sonny Fredie Pedersen Sonny Fredie-Pedersen is a Danish artist. He was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. Fredie-Pedersen has featured in several of his own national TV shows evolving around his life as an entertainer, such as, ''Ingen Slinger I Valsen'', ''Fami ...

, Danish musician and actor * Sonny Sanders (1939–2016), American soul music singer-songwriter, arranger, and producer * Paul Sonny Sandoval (born 1974), lead singer of rock band P.O.D. * Sonny Terry (1911–1986), blind American blues musician born Saunders Terrell * Joseph Sonny West (born 1937), American rockabilly guitarist and songwriter * Sonny Boy Williamson I a.k.a. John Lee Williamson (1914–1948), blues singer and harmonica player * Sonny Boy Williamson II a.k.a. Aleck Ford "Rice" Miller (c.1912–1965), blues singer and harmonica player

Other

* Sonny Angara (born 1972), Filipino politician * Ralph

Sonny Barger Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger, Jr. (October 8, 1938 – June 29, 2022) was an American outlaw biker, author and actor who was a founding member of the Oakland, California chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in 1957. After forming the Oak ...

(born 1938), founding member of the original Oakland, California, chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club * Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte Jr. (born 1936), Filipino politician * Dominick Napolitano, also known as Sonny Black (1930–1981), capo in the Bonanno crime family *

Alphonse Indelicato Alphonse "Al" Indelicato (February 25, 1931 – May 5, 1981), also known as Sonny Red, was a powerful American caporegime in New York City's Bonanno crime family who was murdered with Dominick Trinchera and Philip Giaccone for planning to overth ...

, also known as Sonny Red (1931–1981), another capo in the Bonanno crime family, killed during the same gangland war, in which the two led opposite sides * Sonny Caldinez (born 1932), Trinidadian actor *

Sonny Flood Sonny Flood (born 18 November 1989) is an English actor. Background Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, Flood was educated at Rossall School, near Fleetwood. In 2006 Flood passed ten GCSE exams all at either A or A*. In 2007, he achieved 4 'A's at ...

(born 1989), English actor who plays Josh Ashworth on ''Hollyoaks'' *

Sonny Grosso Salvatore Anthony Grosso (July 21, 1930 – January 22, 2020), known as Sonny Grosso, was an American film producer, television producer, and NYPD detective, noted for his role in the case made famous in the book and film versions of the '' Frenc ...

(1930–2020), police detective and movie producer from New York *

John Franzese John "Sonny" Franzese Sr. (; February 6, 1917 – February 24, 2020) was an Italian-born American mobster who was a longtime member and former underboss of the Colombo crime family. Franzese's career in organized crime began in the 1930s and ...

, Sr. (1917–2020),

underboss Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The under ...

of the Colombo crime family * William Sonny Landham (1941–2017), American actor and stuntman * Sonny Mehta (born Ajai Singh Mehta; 1942–2019), Indian book editor *

Gillespie V. Montgomery Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery (August 5, 1920 – May 12, 2006) was an American soldier and politician from Mississippi who served in the Mississippi Senate and U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1997. He was also a retired major genera ...

(1920–2006), American politician * George Sonny Perdue (born 1946), U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and former Governor of Georgia *

Shridath Ramphal Sir Shridath Surendranath Ramphal (born 3 October 1928), often known as Sir Sonny Ramphal, is a Guyanese politician who was the second Commonwealth Secretary-General, holding the position from 1975 to 1990. He was also the foreign minister o ...

(born 1928), commonly called "Sonny Ramphal" or "Sir Sonny", Guyanese politician and 2nd Commonwealth Secretary-General * Otis Sonny Shroyer (born 1935), American actor * Delbert Sonny West (1938–2017), American actor and stunt performer *

Harold G. White Harold G. "Sonny" White (born October 8, 1965) is a mechanical engineer, aerospace engineer, and applied physicist who is known for proposing new Alcubierre drive concepts and promoting advanced propulsion projects. Educational White obtained a ...

(born 1965), mechanical engineer, aerospace engineer, and applied physicist

Fictional characters

*Sonny Bonds, protagonist of the first three ''

Police Quest ''Police Quest'' (or ''SWAT'') is a series of police simulation video games produced and published by Sierra On-Line between 1987 and 1998. The first five were adventure simulation games, the first three of which were designed by former police ...

'' games * Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr., detective on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' * Sonny Corinthos, in the soap opera ''General Hospital'' * Santino "Sonny" Corleone, in the film ''The Godfather'' * James "Sonny" Crockett, an undercover police detective in the action drama television series ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

'' * Sonny Forelli, in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' * Sonny Kiriakis, on the soap opera ''Days of our Lives'' *Sonny LoSpecchio, the main character in the film ''

A Bronx Tale ''A Bronx Tale'' is a 1993 American coming-of-age crime film directed by and starring Robert De Niro in his directorial debut and produced by Jane Rosenthal, adapted from Chazz Palminteri's 1989 play of the same name. It tells the coming of a ...

'', played by Chazz Palminteri *Sonny Lumet, a character in the American television sitcom '' Bosom Buddies'' *

Sonny Munroe File:SonnyWithaChaceCast.jpg, 300px, The main characters of ''Sonny with a Chance'' in season 1 (from left to right): Tawni Hart (Tiffany Thornton), Grady Mitchell (Doug Brochu), Sonny Munroe (Demi Lovato), Chad Dylan Cooper (Sterling Knight), Z ...

, in Disney Channel Original Series ''Sonny with a Chance'' *Sonny Spoon, a police detective character in the TV series '' Sonny Spoon'' *

Sonny Sumo Sonny Sumo is a fictional sumo wrestler, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared briefly in ''Forever People'' #4 (September 1971) and was created by Jack Kirby. Publication history Sonny Sumo first appeared briefly in '' ...

, a supporting character of DC Comics' ''Forever People'' * Sonny Valentine, in the soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' *Sonny Weaver, Jr., main character of the 2014 film '' Draft Day'', played by Kevin Costner *Sonny Wolff, the father of

Nat and Alex Wolff Nat and Alex Wolff are an American pop rock duo from New York, New York, consisting of brothers Nat and Alex Wolff. The siblings are known for their work on the Nickelodeon television series '' The Naked Brothers Band'', which was created and pro ...

in The Naked Brothers Band *Sonny, a character in the 2021 Canadian-American movie '' Mister Sister'' *Sonny, a character in 1986 the American fantasy drama film '' The Boy Who Could Fly'' *Sonny, a robot in the film ''

I, Robot ''I, Robot'' is a fixup (compilation) novel of science fiction short stories or essays by American writer Isaac Asimov. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines ''Super Science Stories'' and ''Astounding Science Fiction'' be ...

'' *Sonny, a racer character in the Malaysian animated series '' Rimba Racer'' * Sonny the Cuckoo Bird, the mascot for Cocoa Puffs breakfast cereal *Sonny, a well tank locomotive from ''

Thomas & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...

'' *Sonny, the protagonist of the flash video game ''Sonny''

References