Bessye
A feminine variant of the name Elizabeth meaning "God is my oath".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Bessye. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bessye today is around 92 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bessye births was 1916 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bessye. 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
- • The typical person named Bessye is about 92 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bessyes were born before 1944.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bessye. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1916
13 babies that year
Average age
92
years old
1946 SSA rank
#5,015
Tracked since 1903
Popularity
Bessye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bessye from the 1900s through to the 1940s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 54 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bessye 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 Bessye 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 Bessye
The name Bessye is a feminine given name of English origin, derived from the medieval English name Besse, which was a pet form of the name Elizabeth. The name Elizabeth itself is derived from the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "my God is an oath" or "my God is abundance." The name Besse emerged as a popular diminutive form in the Middle Ages, and the spelling variation "Bessye" arose during the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bessye can be found in the historical records of the English county of Yorkshire, where a Bessye Aynley was mentioned in the parish registers of Guiseley in 1592. Another early reference is Bessye Warde, who was recorded in the register of St. Dunstan's Church in Stepney, London, in 1611.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Bessye. One such figure was Bessye Makepeace (c. 1565-1623), an English woman who was accused of witchcraft during the Lancashire witch trials of 1612. Another was Bessye Saxton (c. 1590-1658), an English seamstress and businesswoman who became one of the wealthiest women in 17th-century London.
In the realm of literature, the name Bessye appears in the works of renowned authors. In Charles Dickens' novel "Bleak House" (1852-1853), one of the characters is named Bessye Higden. Additionally, in the 19th-century novel "Bessye Rayner" by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the titular character is a young woman navigating the challenges of life in New England.
Other notable women named Bessye include Bessye R. Whitehead (1857-1944), an American educator and suffragist who fought for women's rights and served as the president of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. Bessye Gertrude Grayson (1885-1963) was an African American social worker and activist who played a significant role in the civil rights movement in Los Angeles.
While the name Bessye experienced its peak popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it has since declined in usage. However, its historical significance and connection to the enduring name Elizabeth ensure that the name Bessye remains a part of the rich tapestry of English naming traditions.
People
Bessye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bessye 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
Bessye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bessye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bessye 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Bessye a common name?
We classify Bessye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 105 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bessye most popular?
The single biggest year for Bessye was 1916, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bessye is about 92 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 Bessye in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bessye a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bessye 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 Bessye still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bessye 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 Bessye 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 are called Bessye?
You can see how many Americans are named Bessye on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.