The baby name Shonali is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced shoh-NAH-lee,/ʃoʊˈnɑːli/.
The baby name Shonali is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced shoh-NAH-lee,/ʃoʊˈnɑːli/.
Shonali is Bengali, Sanskrit in Origin.
Shonali is a feminine given name from the Indo-Aryan family, especially Bengali, Hindi, and Marathi. It means "golden," derived from sona "gold" (ultimately from Sanskrit suvarna) plus the adjectival ending -li/-ali; in scripts: Bengali সোনালি, Devanagari सोनाली. The spelling with Sh- reflects Bengali pronunciation, where স is often realized as "sh," whereas Sonali is the pan-Indian Romanization. The name evokes radiance, prosperity, and auspicious brightness.
As a personal name it rose to broad popularity in late 20th-century India and among the South Asian diaspora. Public figures such as filmmaker Shonali Bose and presenter Shonali Nagrani have reinforced this spelling in English. Common variants include Sonali, Sonalee/Shonalee, and the unisex Sonal; affectionate diminutives are Sona and Shona. Parents choose Shonali for its warm, elegant sound and its culturally resonant meaning of something beautiful and precious like gold.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF | Girls | 0 | #94 | 1 | 2,402 |
| BD | 0 | #234 | 8 | 5,992 | |
| JP | Girls | 0 | #251 | 1 | 6,592 |
| SG | 0 | #282 | 1 | 11,010 | |
| JO | Girls | 0 | #339 | 1 | 7,570 |
| QA | Girls | 0 | #341 | 3 | 15,378 |
| MY | 0 | #354 | 1 | 12,352 | |
| BD | Girls | 0 | #359 | 28 | 8,413 |
| MU | Girls | 0 | #362 | 1 | 8,539 |
| IQ | Girls | 0 | #525 | 1 | 11,303 |
| PS | Girls | 0 | #546 | 2 | 10,981 |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #560 | 2 | 19,177 |
| BH | 0 | #586 | 2 | 17,937 | |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #591 | 7 | 20,968 |
| BD | Boys | 0 | #603 | 3 | 10,045 |
| IN | Girls | 0 | #616 | 16 | 13,121 |
| SG | Girls | 0 | #629 | 4 | 18,916 |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #650 | 1 | 16,104 |
| LB | 0 | #690 | 1 | 13,263 | |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #739 | 1 | 17,960 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #1,012 | 3 | 25,931 |
| IN | Boys | 0 | #1,038 | 2 | 16,750 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #1,072 | 1 | 24,821 |
| AE | Boys | 0 | #1,142 | 2 | 22,615 |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,234 | 3 | 25,928 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,687 | 5 | 28,008 |
Shonali is popular in 18 countries — most recent births per country:
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