girl's name
Bess
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 7,315
Bess is a girl's name with 1 syllable. In 2025 it was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 1889, when 182 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 663,130 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Bess over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. 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 | 1,099 |
| 1890s | 1,531 |
| 1900s | 1,030 |
| 1910s | 1,076 |
| 1920s | 645 |
| 1930s | 251 |
| 1940s | 270 |
| 1950s | 257 |
| 1960s | 219 |
| 1970s | 203 |
| 1980s | 293 |
| 1990s | 127 |
| 2000s | 97 |
| 2010s | 59 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 19 |
How popular is Bess?
In 2025, Bess was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Bess is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Bess
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bess also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bess over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Bess
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bess — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bess
How popular is the name Bess?
In 2025, Bess was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Bess a girl's or a boy's name?
Bess is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Bess?
Bess has 1 syllable.
When was Bess most popular?
Bess peaked in 1889, when 182 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Bess a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bess currently ranks #17,168 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.