Bless
A given name derived from the English word meaning to consecrate or make holy.
Name Census estimates that about 779 living Americans carry the first name Bless. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 60.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Bless today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bless births was 2018 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bless. 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
779
~ 1 in 439,993 Americans
Peak year
2018
60 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,456
Tracked since 1987
Gender
Gender distribution for Bless
Bless is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 786 total registrations, 476 (60.6%) were male and 310 (39.4%) were female.
Bless as a male name
- Ranked #3,456 in 2024
- 33 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (41 births)
Bless as a female name
- Ranked #8,506 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (21 births)
Popularity
Bless: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bless from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 355 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bless remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bless 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 Bless during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bless' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, Florida, California recorded the most babies named Bless, while Texas, Pennsylvania, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bless
The name Bless has its origins in Old English, derived from the word "bletsian," which means "to consecrate or make holy." This name gained popularity during the medieval period, particularly in regions where English was spoken, such as Britain and parts of what is now the United States.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bless can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Blessius," likely a Latin variation of the Old English name.
In the 12th century, the name Bless is mentioned in the writings of the English historian and theologian William of Malmesbury. He refers to a monk named Bless who lived in the Abbey of Glastonbury during the late 11th century.
The name Bless has also been associated with religious figures and saints throughout history. One notable example is Blessed Blesilla, a 4th-century Roman noblewoman who dedicated her life to Christianity and asceticism. Her name is derived from the Latin word "blessus," meaning "blessed."
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the name Bless was Bless of Montserrat (c. 1010-1075), a Benedictine monk and abbot of the Monastery of Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Another notable figure was Bless Fenor (c. 1280-1349), an English theologian and philosopher who studied at the University of Oxford. He is known for his contributions to the development of medieval scholasticism.
In the 15th century, Bless Chetwood (c. 1420-1492) was an English cleric and bishop who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1486 until his death.
During the 16th century, Bless Alvarez (c. 1510-1568) was a Portuguese missionary and one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is celebrated for his work in spreading Christianity in Europe and Asia.
Bless Lochner (1567-1624) was a German painter and engraver known for his religious artworks, particularly his depictions of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child.
People
Bless + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bless 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
Bless: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bless?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 779 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bless 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 439,993 US residents.
Is Bless a common name?
We classify Bless as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 786 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bless most popular?
The single biggest year for Bless was 2018, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bless is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bless a male name?
Yes, 60.6% of people registered as Bless in the SSA data are male. 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.