Bess
Feminine · “my God is an oath”
Bess is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 7,171 girls against 5 boys since 1880.
Bess is the oldest of Elizabeth's short forms in continuous English use, and the one that a queen of England actually answered to — Good Queen Bess was in circulation during her own lifetime.
How old is the name Bess?
Bess was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Bess alive today was born around 1909, making them about 116 years old. About 1,400 people named Bess are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Bess most popular?
Bess peaked in 1887, reaching #157 nationally. Today it ranks #14942, 14,785 places below that high. See the whole 1887 chart.
Where it comes from
From Elisheva to Bess
The story of Bess
Elizabeth was among the most-given names in England for four centuries, and a name that common splinters: Bess, Bet, Betty, Betsy, Eliza, Libby, Beth and Bessie all come from it. Bess was in ordinary use by the sixteenth century and was attached to Elizabeth I in popular speech during her reign. American families registered it as a legal name in the nineteenth century, and it stood in the national top hundred and sixty in the 1880s.
Meaning
my God is an oath
Through Elizabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva — el, 'God', and sheva, 'oath' or 'seven', two words linked in Hebrew. A second reading of the same elements gives 'my God is abundance'. Elisheva is named in Exodus as the wife of Aaron.
How the name formed
- Elisheva
- Elizabeth
- Bess
Related forms: Elisheva · Betsy · Elsie
Pronouncing Bess
BESS
One syllable. Said identically in every English accent.
Nicknames for Bess
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1889182 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #157reached in 1887
- Change vs 2019
- 0.0%5 in 2025, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Bess in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Elisheva in Hebrew — related form
- Betsy in Scottish — related form
- Elsie in German — related form
Besss among us
people named Bess are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 321,453 born in 2025 was named Bess
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Bess sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Bess beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Bess in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Elizabeth stands behind it as one of the deepest names in the language.
- One syllable, four letters, and never once misspelled by an English speaker.
- It is plain without being weak, which is difficult for a short name to manage.
- Given outright it stays a short form for life; Elizabeth on the certificate keeps every option open.
- It is very brief and can be overwhelmed by a long surname.
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What they receive
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Bess
Feminine · #14942 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Besss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,400 people named Bess are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Bess in 2025?
- Bess ranks #14942 among US girl names in 2025, with 5 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Bess?
- About 1 in every 321,453 US girls born in 2025 was named Bess — 5 in all.
- Will my child share the name Bess with classmates?
- Bess will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Bess
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Hester#14942 · Lyda#14942 · Zula#14942 · Zona#14942 · Ula#14942 · Belva#14942 · Lucetta#14942 · Leala#14942
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Bess? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Bess and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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