girl's name
Beatrice
BEE-a-triss
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 348,393
the United States
#508
2025 births
Beatrice is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "she who brings happiness." It comes from Beatrix, from beatus, blessed, and was made permanent in European culture by Dante, who cast Beatrice as his guide through Paradise.
- Beatrice is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in US records in 1921, when 5,994 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,314 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Beatrice over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Beatrice is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,900 |
| 1890s | 7,516 |
| 1900s | 16,349 |
| 1910s | 44,675 |
| 1920s | 49,453 |
| 1930s | 23,879 |
| 1940s | 15,625 |
| 1950s | 10,768 |
| 1960s | 6,467 |
| 1970s | 3,266 |
| 1980s | 2,765 |
| 1990s | 2,383 |
| 2000s | 2,528 |
| 2010s | 4,836 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,243 |
What Beatrice means
Beatrice means she who makes happy, or bringer of blessings. The Latin sense is active — the name describes someone who confers happiness on others rather than possessing it.
Where Beatrice comes from
Beatrice is the Italian form of the Late Latin Beatrix, from beatus, blessed or happy, with the feminine agent ending -trix. Early Christian use read it as she who makes blessed. Dante Alighieri's Beatrice — based on Beatrice Portinari, whom he claimed to have seen only a handful of times — guides him through Paradise in the Divine Comedy, and that association carried the name across Europe. Shakespeare's Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing gave it a very different and sharper character. Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria's youngest daughter, made it a British royal name.
Beatrice in use
Our data marks Beatrice as reviving, peaking in 1921, and it now sits at 121 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880. Its pet forms Bea and Betty have risen ahead of it, following the same British pattern where diminutives lead the parent name back into use.
How popular is Beatrice?
In 2025, Beatrice was given to 401 babies in England and Wales, ranking #121 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Beatrice is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
How Beatrice is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Béatrice | Béatrice is Beatrice written with an acute accent, used in France, where it ranks #1,513. | 131,280 |
Names that peaked alongside Beatrice
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Beatrice also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Beatrice over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Beatrice
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Beatrice in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Beatrice
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Beatrice — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Beatrice
What does the name Beatrice mean?
Beatrice means "she who brings happiness," from the Latin beatus, blessed.
Who was Dante's Beatrice?
Beatrice Portinari, whom Dante claimed to have seen only a few times, and whom he cast as his guide through Paradise in the Divine Comedy.
What is the difference between Beatrice and Beatrix?
Beatrix is the older Latin form; Beatrice is the Italian one that English adopted.
How popular is the name Beatrice?
In 2025, Beatrice was given to 401 babies in England and Wales, ranking #121 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Beatrice a girl's or a boy's name?
Beatrice is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Beatrice?
Beatrice has 3 syllables.
When was Beatrice most popular?
Beatrice peaked in 1921, when 5,994 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Beatrice?
Beatrice is usually shortened to Bea, Betty, Trixie and Tris.
Is Beatrice a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Beatrice currently ranks #53 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.