Bessie
Bessie was the 6889th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 16 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 9th; the most babies were born in 1916 (4,122). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,692 places. More babies were named Bessie in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Elizabeth · English, Hebrew
Say it BES-ee /ˈbɛsi/
- Rank in 2025
- #6,889 girls, up 85 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 16girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19164,122 babies
- Total since 1880
- 170,877babies recorded
What does the name Bessie mean?
Bessie is Bess with the -ie ending, a pet form of Elizabeth, as Wiktionary notes; Queen Elizabeth I was known as 'Good Queen Bess'. Elizabeth comes from Hebrew Elisheva, usually explained as 'my God is an oath'. Bessie was very common in the US in the late 19th century; blues singer Bessie Smith is a famous bearer.
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elisheva) (Biblical Hebrew, “my God is an oath”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Elizabeth, Bess, Betsy, Beth.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bessie', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Elizabeth', DMNES (Durham University)
Bessie popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 737 since 1881.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,889 | 16 |
| 2020 | #6,974 | 16 |
| 2010 | #12,456 | 8 |
| 2000 | #3,995 | 31 |
| 1990 | #1,907 | 73 |
| 1980 | #1,288 | 99 |
| 1970 | #844 | 160 |
| 1960 | #493 | 385 |
| 1950 | #270 | 794 |
| 1940 | #162 | 1,297 |
| 1930 | #108 | 2,382 |
| 1920 | #71 | 3,906 |
| 1910 | #37 | 2,392 |
| 1900 | #15 | 3,044 |
| 1890 | #11 | 2,370 |
| 1880 | #23 | 796 |
How popular is Bessie, counting every spelling?
Bessie is the most common spelling of a name family that had 21 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 21 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bessie | 16 | #6,889 | 71 |
| Bessy | 5 | #15,308 | 27 |
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 Bessie?
16 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bessie (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Bessie 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 529 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bessie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bessie?
About 19,700 people born in the US named Bessie are alive today, with a median age of 77; half are between 67 and 85. That makes Bessie a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bessie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bessie, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Bessie
What does Bessie mean?
Bessie means “pet form of Elizabeth” (English, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bessie?
Bessie was the 6889th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 16 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 9th; the most babies were born in 1916 (4,122). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,692 places. More babies were named Bessie in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Bessie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Bessie in the US.