Meaning: Onie is an affectionate -ie name of uncertain base; it likely shortens a longer name ending in -on, such as Alonzo or Vernon, or stands as a regional coinage, and was used in the American South for both sexes though here for a boy. No single parent name is recorded, which we note.Low
In 30 seconds: Onie is an uncommon early American pet-form name of uncertain origin, likely short for a longer -on name. It was used for United States boys around 1920 (said OH-nee); its route is unclear.
MeaningOnie is an affectionate -ie name of uncertain base; it likely shortens a longer name ending in -on, such as Alonzo or Vernon, or stands as a regional coinage, and was used in the American South for both sexes though here for a boy. No single parent name is recorded, which we note.
Onie appeared faintly in American records, mostly around 1920, without a settled origin. It reads as a rustic Southern pet-form name.
It was never common, given to only a couple dozen boys a year even at its peak, and it faded within a generation. With its base uncertain, which we note, the name survives as a warm, dated rarity.
Did you know? Short -ie names like Onie filled the early nineteen-hundreds, often trimmed from a longer name ending in -on such as Alonzo or Vernon; the fuller name behind any given Onie is usually lost to the record.
Overall data confidence 28%
References - Onie β Uncertain pet-form; likely short for a longer -on name; Southern usage
