Bellamy
A masculine French name meaning "good friend" or "fine friend".
Name Census estimates that about 5,995 living Americans carry the first name Bellamy. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 56.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Bellamy today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bellamy births was 2022 (850 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bellamy. 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
- • Bellamy sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
- • Bellamy is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 6 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
6.0K
~ 1 in 57,173 Americans
Peak year
2022
850 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#690
Tracked since 1993
Gender
Gender distribution for Bellamy
Bellamy is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 6,035 total registrations, 2,634 (43.6%) were male and 3,401 (56.4%) were female.
Bellamy as a male name
- Ranked #690 in 2024
- 390 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (447 births)
Bellamy as a female name
- Ranked #861 in 2024
- 312 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (408 births)
Popularity
Bellamy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bellamy from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 3,725 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bellamy 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 Bellamy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bellamys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Bellamy, while New Hampshire, North Dakota, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 115 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bellamy
The name Bellamy is of French origin, derived from the combination of the words "belle" meaning "beautiful" and "ami" meaning "friend." It was initially used as a surname during the Middle Ages, likely emerging in the 12th or 13th century.
While the exact origin of the name is uncertain, it is believed to have arisen as a descriptive nickname or as a reference to a person's character or physical appearance. The name may have been bestowed upon someone considered a beautiful or cherished friend.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bellamy can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as a surname, indicating its usage during that era.
In the 14th century, the name Bellamy appeared in several literary works, including Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales." Chaucer featured a character named "Bellamy" in his iconic work, further solidifying the name's presence in the English language.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Bellamy. One such person was Jacobus Bellamy (1757-1786), a Dutch-born painter known for his landscapes and portraits. Another notable figure was Edward Bellamy (1850-1898), an American writer and advocate for social reform, best known for his utopian novel "Looking Backward."
In the realm of literature, the name Bellamy is associated with Edward Bellamy (1850-1898), the author of the influential utopian novel "Looking Backward." His work explored societal issues and proposed a vision of an ideal society, inspiring subsequent writers and thinkers.
The name also gained prominence in the world of acting and entertainment. Actors such as Ralph Bellamy (1904-1991), an American actor known for his roles in films like "His Girl Friday" and "The Awful Truth," and Ned Bellamy (1925-2005), a British actor best known for his role in the television series "Upstairs, Downstairs," carried the name Bellamy.
Another notable figure was Joseph Bellamy (1719-1790), an American Congregationalist minister and theologian known for his influential sermons and theological writings, which played a significant role in shaping the religious landscape of colonial New England.
These examples illustrate the historical presence and cultural significance of the name Bellamy, which has been borne by individuals across various fields, including art, literature, acting, and religion, over several centuries.
People
Bellamy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bellamy 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
Bellamy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bellamy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,995 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bellamy 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 57,173 US residents.
Is Bellamy a common name?
We classify Bellamy as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,035 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bellamy most popular?
The single biggest year for Bellamy was 2022, when 850 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bellamy is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bellamy a female name?
Yes, 56.4% of people registered as Bellamy 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.