Bellamae
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "beautiful maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 89 living Americans carry the first name Bellamae. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bellamae today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bellamae births was 2019 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bellamae. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bellamae. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
89
~ 1 in 3,851,172 Americans
Peak year
2019
12 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,687
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Bellamae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bellamae from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 52 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bellamae remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bellamae 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 Bellamae during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bellamae
The name Bellamae is a relatively modern combination of two words – the Italian bella, meaning beautiful, and the English Mae, a variant of the name Mary. It emerged in the late 20th century, likely inspired by the growing popularity of unique and unconventional baby names.
While the name itself is a recent invention, its roots can be traced back to ancient languages and cultures. The word bella has its origins in the Latin bellus, which means pretty or handsome. This Latin term was widely used in various Romance languages, including Italian, Spanish, and French.
The name Mae, on the other hand, is derived from the Hebrew name Miriam, which was the name of the sister of Moses in the Bible. Over time, it evolved into Maria in Latin, Marie in French, and eventually Mary in English. Mae became a popular diminutive form of Mary, particularly in the United States and Britain.
Although Bellamae is a modern name, there are a few notable individuals throughout history who have borne similar names or variations. For instance, Bella was a common nickname for women named Isabella or Arabella in medieval Europe. One famous example is Bella Guttmann, a German-born Brazilian football manager who lived from 1899 to 1981.
Another notable figure is Mae West, an American actress, playwright, and sex symbol who was born in 1893 and died in 1980. She was known for her witty and risqué plays and films, as well as her distinctive persona and style.
In the literary world, Bella Swan is the protagonist of the popular Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer, which was published between 2005 and 2008. While Bella is not an exact match for Bellamae, it shares the same Italian root and meaning of beautiful.
Historically, the name Bellamae has not been widely recorded, as it is a relatively new creation. However, its individual components, bella and Mae, have rich cultural and linguistic histories that contribute to the overall meaning and significance of the name.
People
Bellamae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bellamae 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
Bellamae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bellamae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 89 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bellamae 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 3,851,172 US residents.
Is Bellamae a common name?
We classify Bellamae as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 90 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bellamae most popular?
The single biggest year for Bellamae was 2019, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bellamae is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Bellamae in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bellamae a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bellamae 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 Bellamae still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bellamae 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 Bellamae 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Bellamae?
Find out how many Americans are named Bellamae on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.