Bellatrix
A feminine name derived from Latin meaning "female warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 324 living Americans carry the first name Bellatrix. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bellatrix today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bellatrix births was 2022 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bellatrix. 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.
People living today
324
~ 1 in 1,057,884 Americans
Peak year
2022
37 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,961
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Bellatrix: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bellatrix from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 155 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
Bellatrix 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 Bellatrix during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bellatrix' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bellatrix
Bellatrix is a feminine given name that has its origins in the Latin language. It is derived from the Latin words "bellum" meaning "war" and "atrix" meaning "female worker or doer". Therefore, the name Bellatrix can be interpreted as "female warrior" or "woman of war".
The name Bellatrix is also associated with the third-brightest star in the constellation Orion, known as "Gamma Orionis" or "Bellatrix". This star was named Bellatrix by the ancient Romans, who were likely inspired by its fiery appearance and its position in a prominent celestial constellation associated with hunting and warfare.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bellatrix can be found in ancient Roman literature. The name appears in the works of the Roman poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD. In his epic poem "Metamorphoses", Ovid mentions a character named Bellatrix, though little is known about her significance.
Throughout history, the name Bellatrix has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded was Bellatrix of Tyana, a Roman empress who lived in the 3rd century AD. She was the wife of the Roman Emperor Aurelian and is believed to have wielded significant influence during his reign.
Another famous Bellatrix was Bellatrix Lestrange, a fictional character from the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling. In the novels, Bellatrix is portrayed as a powerful and sadistic witch, loyal to Lord Voldemort and a member of the Lestrange family.
In the 16th century, there was Bellatrix de Castiglia, an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts. She was known for her patronage of artists and writers during the Renaissance period, and her name is associated with the promotion of cultural and intellectual pursuits.
In the 19th century, Bellatrix Petrucci was an Italian painter and sculptor who gained recognition for her portraiture and religious artwork. She was also known for her involvement in the Italian Risorgimento movement, which sought to unify the various states of the Italian peninsula.
Finally, in the 20th century, Bellatrix Hubbard was an American activist and feminist who played a prominent role in the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and worked tirelessly to secure the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
People
Bellatrix + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bellatrix 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
Bellatrix: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bellatrix?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 324 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bellatrix 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 1,057,884 US residents.
Is Bellatrix a common name?
We classify Bellatrix as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 326 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bellatrix most popular?
The single biggest year for Bellatrix was 2022, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bellatrix is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bellatrix a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bellatrix 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.