Bess is a girl name with a rare feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Bess means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Bess across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Bess has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Bess is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “God is my oath”. A pet form of Elizabeth.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 7,176 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 130 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 Bess per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1889 (182/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2014 (14/yr).
Bess has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1889, when it ranked #260 nationally (given to 182 babies that year).
Bessie · Besse · Bessye · Bose · Pessy · Bossie · Bissie · Bass
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