Bebe
A French-derived feminine name meaning "baby" or "infant".
Name Census estimates that about 504 living Americans carry the first name Bebe. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bebe today is around 56 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bebe births was 1932 (61 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bebe. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Bebe with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
504
~ 1 in 680,068 Americans
Peak year
1932
61 babies that year
Average age
56
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,683
Tracked since 1904
Census
Bebe in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,135 people with the first name Bebe, which placed it at #7,216 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,216
National first-name rank
People counted
2.1K
2,135 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
33.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bebe
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bebe is White at 33.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (33.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (15.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Bebe described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Bebe at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White33.9% · 724
- Hispanic or Latino33.4% · 713
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.6% · 332
- Black or African American12.8% · 274
- Two or more races3.2% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 23
Popularity
Bebe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bebe from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 449 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bebe by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bebe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bebes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, New York, California recorded the most babies named Bebe, while Alabama, Pennsylvania, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bebe
The given name Bebe has its origins in French, derived from the Old French word "bebe" meaning "baby" or "toddler." This term traces its roots back to the late 15th century when it was first recorded in written form. It is believed to have evolved from the repetitive babbling sounds made by infants, which eventually became associated with the concept of a young child.
In its early usage, Bebe was primarily a nickname or term of endearment for young children, rather than a formal given name. However, over time, it gradually transitioned into a standalone name, particularly popular among French-speaking communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Bebe as a given name can be found in the 17th century with Bebe Mavra, a French noblewoman born in 1632. She was a prominent figure at the court of King Louis XIV and is known for her patronage of the arts and literary salons.
Another notable figure bearing the name Bebe was Bebe Moore Campbell, an American author and teacher born in 1950. She gained recognition for her novels exploring themes of race, family, and social issues, including "Your Blues Ain't Like Mine" and "What You Owe Me." Campbell passed away in 2006.
In the realm of entertainment, Bebe Neuwirth, born in 1958, is a renowned American actress and dancer. She is best known for her portrayal of Lilith Crane on the television series "Cheers" and "Frasier," for which she won two Emmy Awards.
The name Bebe also has historical ties to the world of fashion. Bebe Daniels, born in 1901, was an American actress, singer, and producer who became a fashion icon during the silent film era. Her distinctive style and penchant for wearing beaded dresses and elaborate headpieces influenced fashion trends of the 1920s.
In the field of music, Bebe Rexha, born in 1989, is a contemporary American singer-songwriter known for hits like "Meant to Be" and "I'm a Mess." Her unique blend of pop and hip-hop has garnered her critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base.
While the name Bebe is commonly associated with French origins, it has also been adopted and used in various cultures around the world, each with its own unique interpretation and significance.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Bebe
People
Bebe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bebe as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bebe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bebe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 504 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bebe going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 680,068 US residents.
Is Bebe a common name?
We classify Bebe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,573 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bebe most popular?
The single biggest year for Bebe was 1932, when 61 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bebe is about 56 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Bebe in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,135 people with the name Bebe, or 0.71 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,216 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Bebe in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Bebe?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Bebe leans strongly female. 1,717 people counted with this name were female (80.5%), compared with 417 male bearers (19.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Bebe?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bebe is White at 33.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (33.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (15.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Bebe most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Bebe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.9% (724 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bebe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bebe a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bebe in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bebe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bebe in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bebe can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Bebe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.