What’s in a Name?

Our name is one of our favorite stories to tell.

“Sonny” represents our son, Santino—and children everywhere.

“The Lion” is me, his mother. But it also symbolizes my husband, our family, and every caregiver who shows up with love, strength, and fierce devotion to raising a child. It’s for the whole pride—however yours is made.

Want the full story?

When I became a mother, I couldn’t wait to wear that classic “MAMA” sweatshirt. It was a title I had never worn before but instantly felt like my most important role yet. Still, as I settled into new motherhood, I began noticing something: not every caregiver raising children identifies as a “mama.” Not every person whose world revolves around a child is a mother - and yet, their love is just as full, their sacrifices just as deep.

I wanted to create something that honored all forms of care and family—without losing the soul of what makes parenthood so powerful.

Then, one afternoon while snapping my son’s monthly photo next to his stuffed lion, my husband smiled and said, “Aw, it’s Sonny and the Lion.”

I stopped in my tracks. That was it. Sonny & The Lion.

I immediately searched for the meaning of lions in symbolism, and the deeper I dug, the more certain I became that this was exactly the name we needed. It spoke to motherhood, yes—but also to community, protection, and the strength of every person raising the next generation with heart.

Because when you look at the way lions care for their young, something remarkable happens: it begins to feel familiar.

Did You Know?

Lions live in social groups called prides—and their family structure has surprising and powerful parallels to our own:

• Lionesses raise their young together. In a pride, the mothers feed, protect, and even nurse each other’s cubs. This shared responsibility isn’t just instinct—it’s a profound form of communal care. It mirrors the way modern caregivers support one another, especially in moments of crisis or need.
• Cubs aren’t introduced right away. A mother lion keeps her babies hidden for the first eight weeks of life before bringing them into the pride. Even lions understand that new motherhood requires sacred space before welcoming in the world.
• The lionesses are the providers. They do the hunting, working in coordinated groups to feed the entire pride. Their collaboration and strength are essential for survival—just as the emotional and physical labor of women and caregivers fuels families everywhere.
• They hunt together because it works. A lioness on her own is strong. A group of lionesses working in sync? Unstoppable. It’s a testament to what’s possible when women support women, and when caregivers are backed by a village.
• They defend their young fiercely. A mother lion will fight to the death to protect her cubs. The instinct to shield, defend, and sacrifice for our children transcends species—and it’s one of the most powerful forces on Earth.
• Prides come in all sizes. A lion pride can be as small as two or as large as forty. What matters isn’t the number—it’s the bond. Whether your family is big, small, traditional, blended, chosen, or somewhere in between, it is yours. And it is everything.

At Sonny & The Lion, we believe in honoring the heart of caregiving, in all its forms.

To love like lions means to nurture, protect, provide, and show up for your pride—every single day. That’s the story behind our name.

And now, it’s part of yours too.