Beatrice
Beatrice was the 508th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 583 babies. Its best year was 1910, when it ranked 36th; the most babies were born in 1921 (5,968). Over the last ten years it has moved up 62 places. More babies were named Beatrice in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning she who makes happy · Latin
Say it BEE-uh-tris /ˈbiətrɪs/
- Rank in 2025
- #508 girls, up 44 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 583girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19215,968 babies
- Total since 1880
- 195,653babies recorded
What does the name Beatrice mean?
Beatrice comes from Latin Beatrix, a name of early Christian saints. DMNES glosses beatrix as "she who blesses, makes happy, delights," from beatus, blessed or happy. Wiktionary gives a second possibility: the name may first have been Viatrix, female traveler, reshaped to look like beatus. DMNES lists a fourth-century martyr and many medieval queens and saints named Beatrice, and records the name in England from the 12th century.
beatrix (Latin, “she who makes happy”)beatus (Latin, “blessed, happy”)viatrix (Latin, “female traveler (alternative source)”)
How sure is this? Probable. DMNES gives the 'makes happy' reading; Wiktionary allows that Beatrix may be reshaped from Viatrix.
Related names: Beatrix, Bea, Bee, Beatriz, Trixie.
See also: Latin names, names that mean joy.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Beatrice', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Beatrice' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Beatrice
The usual nicknames for Beatrice are Bea, Trixie and Bee. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Beatrice in the last five years, 13 were named Bea, against 3 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bea | Traditional | #2,218 | 360 |
| Trixie · Trixie comes from Beatrix, the Latin form | Traditional | #9,415 | 55 |
| Bee | Modern | #11,095 | 46 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Beatrices go by each one.
Beatrice popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 733 since 1892.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #508 | 583 |
| 2020 | #552 | 538 |
| 2010 | #837 | 321 |
| 2000 | #970 | 218 |
| 1990 | #720 | 290 |
| 1980 | #634 | 287 |
| 1970 | #478 | 423 |
| 1960 | #310 | 910 |
| 1950 | #210 | 1,271 |
| 1940 | #140 | 1,730 |
| 1930 | #76 | 3,390 |
| 1920 | #41 | 5,804 |
| 1910 | #36 | 2,459 |
| 1900 | #56 | 1,382 |
| 1890 | #98 | 417 |
| 1880 | #154 | 87 |
How popular is Beatrice, counting every spelling?
Beatrice is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #453 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #508 for Beatrice on its own. Together these spellings went to 703 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beatrice | 583 | #508 | 2,705 |
| Beatriz | 120 | #1,704 | 552 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Beatrice?
583 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Beatrice (0.16 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Beatrice born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Beatrice.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Beatrice?
About 46,600 people born in the US named Beatrice are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 32 and 79. That makes Beatrice a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Beatrice by state
How common Beatrice was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (6.3×), New Hampshire (3.7×), Oregon (2.2×), Massachusetts (2.2×), Wisconsin (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, Arizona, Alabama.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Beatrice: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Beatrice, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Beatrice · Sibling names for Beatrice
Questions about the name Beatrice
What does Beatrice mean?
Beatrice means “she who makes happy” (Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Beatrice?
Beatrice was the 508th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 583 babies. Its best year was 1910, when it ranked 36th; the most babies were born in 1921 (5,968). Over the last ten years it has moved up 62 places. More babies were named Beatrice in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Beatrice a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Beatrice in the US.
Where is Beatrice most popular?
In 2021–2025, Beatrice was most common in District of Columbia (2.11 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Hampshire and Maine.