Bell
A feminine name derived from the daughter of 13th-century bell founders.
Name Census estimates that about 273 living Americans carry the first name Bell. It is a predominantly female name (95.0% of registrations). The average person named Bell today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bell births was 1900 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bell. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Bell is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 130 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
273
~ 1 in 1,255,510 Americans
Peak year
1900
63 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1993 SSA rank
#8,830
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Bell
Bell leans heavily female at 95.0% of total registrations, but 130 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Bell as a male name
- Ranked #8,830 in 1993
- 5 male births in 1993
- Peak: 1915 (13 births)
Bell as a female name
- Ranked #13,685 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1900 (63 births)
Popularity
Bell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bell from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1890s, with 511 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1890s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bell 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 Bell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Bell, while Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bell
The given name Bell has its origins in the Old English word "belle", which was derived from the Latin word "bella", meaning beautiful or fair. The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages in England and other parts of Europe.
In the late 12th century, the name Bell appeared in the medieval romance "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", where it was used as a nickname for a beautiful lady. This literary reference contributed to the name's association with beauty and grace.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Bell as a given name was in the 13th century, when a woman named Bell de Calveley was mentioned in the Cheshire County records in England. Around the same time, a Benedictine nun named Bell de Whiteby was known for her piety and devotion.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained further popularity due to its association with the Italian word "bella", which means beautiful. The name was frequently used in literature and art to describe beautiful women, such as the character Bella Donna in the play "The Duchess of Malfi" by John Webster.
Notable historical figures with the given name Bell include:
1. Bell Scott (1904-1994), an American artist and activist known for her work in the Harlem Renaissance.
2. Bell Hooks (1952-2021), an American author, feminist, and social activist who wrote extensively about race, gender, and class.
3. Bell Burnell (born 1943), a British astrophysicist who was the first to discover pulsars and contribute significantly to the field of radio astronomy.
4. Bell Gwawu (born 1981), a Zimbabwean model and beauty queen who won the Miss Zimbabwe title in 2001.
5. Bell Muller (1822-1888), a British-Australian philanthropist and social reformer who established the Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary.
In various cultures, the name Bell has been associated with beauty, grace, and femininity, reflecting its linguistic roots and historical usage. Despite its ancient origins, the name continues to be popular in modern times, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage.
People
Bell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bell 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
Bell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 273 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bell 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 1,255,510 US residents.
Is Bell a common name?
We classify Bell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,618 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bell most popular?
The single biggest year for Bell was 1900, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bell is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bell a female name?
Yes, 95.0% of people registered as Bell 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.
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.