Bess
A diminutive of Elizabeth, derived from the Hebrew Elisheva meaning "God is my oath".
Name Census estimates that about 1,328 living Americans carry the first name Bess. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bess today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bess births was 1889 (182 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bess. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 258,098 Americans
Peak year
1889
182 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1894 SSA rank
#1,096
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Bess
Out of the 7,171 babies given the name Bess since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Bess as a male name
- Ranked #1,096 in 1894
- 5 male births in 1894
- Peak: 1894 (5 births)
Bess as a female name
- Ranked #13,858 in 2022
- 6 female births in 2022
- Peak: 1889 (182 births)
Popularity
Bess: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bess from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1890s, with 1,531 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
Bess 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 Bess during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bess' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. New York, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Bess, while Wisconsin, California, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 42 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bess
The given name Bess is a diminutive form of the name Elizabeth, which is derived from the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "God is my oath." The name Bess emerged in the Middle Ages, particularly in England, as a shortened version of Elizabeth.
The earliest recorded use of the name Bess can be traced back to the 13th century in England. It was a popular nickname for women named Elizabeth, especially among the lower classes and rural communities. The name gained prominence during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603), who was often affectionately referred to as "Good Queen Bess."
One of the most famous bearers of the name Bess in history was Bess of Hardwick (1527-1608), a wealthy English noblewoman and a prominent figure in the Elizabethan era. She was known for her ambitious nature and her impressive collection of properties, including the iconic Hardwick Hall.
Another notable Bess was Bess Truman (1885-1982), the wife of President Harry S. Truman. She was known for her informal and down-to-earth manner, which endeared her to the American public during her husband's presidency.
In literature, one of the most famous characters named Bess is Bess Bridgenorth from Sir Walter Scott's novel "Peveril of the Peak" (1823). She is a strong-willed and independent woman who defies societal conventions and fights for her love.
Other notable historical figures with the name Bess include Bess Myerson (1924-2014), an American model and politician who became the first Jewish Miss America in 1945, and Bess Streeter Aldrich (1881-1954), an American author and novelist known for her writings about life on the prairie.
Throughout its history, the name Bess has been associated with qualities such as strength, resilience, and a spirited nature, reflecting the character of many of its notable bearers.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Bess
People
Bess + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bess 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
Bess: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bess?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,328 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bess 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 258,098 US residents.
Is Bess a common name?
We classify Bess as "Rare". It ranks above 91.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,171 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bess most popular?
The single biggest year for Bess was 1889, when 182 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bess is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bess a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Bess 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.