Belle is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Belle means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Belle across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Belle has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Belle is a girl name of French origin meaning “beautiful”. From the French word belle, also a short form of Isabel or Annabel.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 19,227 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 2,810 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 281 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 74 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 233 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Belle per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1915 (407/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2018 (218/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2018 (30/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2020 (20/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2018 (11/yr).
Belle has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1915, when it ranked #527 nationally (given to 407 babies that year).
Billy · Bailey · Billie · Bella · Bill · Beulah · Baylee · Bell
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →