Sunshine
Sunshine is a girl's name of English origin.
Meaning
Light and heat from the sun; bright, cheerful light.
Origin and history
Sunshine is a vocabulary name derived from the Old English words for the sun's light and heat. It gained popular usage as a given name during the 1970s counterculture movement and remains a distinct, cheerful choice in the U.S. While relatively uncommon overall, it maintains steady usage as a middle and first name.
Popularity in the United States
5,734 babies in the United States have been named Sunshine since 1880. It ranks #2257 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #1685.
States where it is most popular
- CA (35.3 %)
- TX (13.6 %)
- FL (6.4 %)
- MI (5.2 %)
- OH (4.3 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 0 |
| 1890-1900 | 0 |
| 1900-1910 | 14 |
| 1910-1920 | 78 |
| 1920-1930 | 120 |
| 1930-1940 | 20 |
| 1940-1950 | 0 |
| 1950-1960 | 37 |
| 1960-1970 | 22 |
| 1970-1980 | 1,911 |
| 1980-1990 | 1,110 |
| 1990-2000 | 552 |
| 2000-2010 | 835 |
| 2010-2019 | 619 |
| 2020-2029 | 416 |
Famous people named Sunshine
- Sunshine Becker: Singer, Musician
Nicknames
Sunny, Shine
Fun facts
- Sunshine gained noticeable popularity as a given name in the United States during the late 1960s and 1970s.
- It belongs to the category of English vocabulary names that convey positive natural imagery.