The baby name Bess is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /bɛs/ (rhymes with "less").
The baby name Bess is a Female name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /bɛs/ (rhymes with "less").
Bess is in Origin.
Bess is an English pet form of Elizabeth, ultimately from Hebrew Elisheva, composed of El (“God”) and sheva (“oath”/“pledge”), yielding the meaning “God is my oath” or “pledged to God.” While once strictly a nickname, Bess has long stood on its own in records and literature.
Usage blossomed in early modern England - Elizabeth I was affectionately styled “Good Queen Bess,” and the formidable noblewoman Bess of Hardwick cemented the name’s visibility. In Britain and the United States it became a modest standalone choice in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, declined mid‑century with many -ie diminutives, and now reads as a crisp, vintage revival. Variants and related short forms include Bessie/Bessy, Betsy, Betty, Beth, and Bette; cognates from the Elizabeth family include Eliza, Elise, Elisa, Elsbeth, Lise, and Isabel.
| Bess Truman Bess Truman was best known as the First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953, during her husband Harry S. Truman’s presidency. Born Elizabeth Virginia Wallace, she served in the White House through the end of World War II and the early postwar years. |
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MO | 0 | #51 | 2 | 2,706 | |
| AO | 0 | #77 | 1 | 2,729 | |
| SI | 0 | #80 | 1 | 1,612 | |
| CN | 0 | #86 | 1 | 3,857 | |
| TW | 0 | #100 | 4 | 4,523 | |
| PH | 0 | #109 | 2 | 5,607 | |
| BN | Girls | 0 | #114 | 1 | 5,459 |
| Sweden | Girls | 2009 | #185 | 2 | 1,388 |
| AR | 0 | #193 | 1 | 2,915 | |
| SI | Boys | 0 | #195 | 15 | 3,402 |
| AL | Girls | 0 | #227 | 1 | 4,141 |
| GR | Girls | 0 | #249 | 1 | 6,293 |
| MO | Girls | 0 | #258 | 6 | 7,056 |
| TW | Girls | 0 | #265 | 12 | 8,139 |
| JM | Girls | 0 | #278 | 1 | 7,507 |
| SG | 0 | #279 | 4 | 11,010 | |
| IL | 0 | #282 | 1 | 6,291 | |
| KZ | Boys | 0 | #295 | 2 | 6,578 |
| AL | Boys | 0 | #298 | 6 | 5,122 |
| SA | 0 | #311 | 2 | 10,560 | |
| CN | Girls | 0 | #315 | 35 | 8,829 |
| DK | Girls | 0 | #328 | 2 | 7,429 |
| CN | Boys | 0 | #331 | 1 | 9,639 |
| HK | 0 | #338 | 11 | 8,483 | |
| CZ | Girls | 0 | #351 | 1 | 5,378 |
| MY | 0 | #353 | 2 | 12,352 | |
| MU | Boys | 0 | #369 | 1 | 8,477 |
| PH | Girls | 0 | #374 | 17 | 13,098 |
| PT | Boys | 0 | #380 | 2 | 7,951 |
| YE | 0 | #398 | 1 | 8,639 | |
| France | Girls | 2007 | #402 | 3 | 3,164 |
| PH | Boys | 0 | #407 | 2 | 11,440 |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #420 | 5 | 15,987 |
| SD | Boys | 0 | #466 | 1 | 10,523 |
| PT | Girls | 0 | #471 | 1 | 7,952 |
| ZA | 0 | #473 | 2 | 14,421 | |
| RU | Girls | 0 | #515 | 9 | 11,913 |
| RU | Boys | 0 | #523 | 4 | 12,621 |
| IQ | Girls | 0 | #525 | 1 | 11,303 |
| CM | Boys | 0 | #541 | 10 | 12,054 |
| IR | Girls | 0 | #545 | 1 | 8,334 |
| PS | Girls | 0 | #546 | 2 | 10,981 |
| CM | Girls | 0 | #553 | 8 | 11,671 |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #556 | 2 | 12,905 |
| LY | 0 | #558 | 2 | 12,703 | |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #560 | 2 | 19,177 |
| PS | Boys | 0 | #561 | 1 | 10,655 |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #563 | 53 | 16,104 |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #570 | 4 | 11,342 |
| SG | Girls | 0 | #577 | 10 | 18,916 |
| BH | 0 | #587 | 1 | 17,937 | |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #597 | 1 | 20,968 |
| IL | Boys | 0 | #625 | 1 | 10,983 |
| IL | Girls | 0 | #642 | 4 | 11,648 |
| LB | 0 | #687 | 4 | 13,263 | |
| IQ | Boys | 0 | #697 | 1 | 13,071 |
| Finland | Girls | 2026 | #733 | 6 | 3,895 |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #738 | 2 | 17,960 |
| SY | 0 | #767 | 1 | 11,684 | |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #775 | 12 | 15,093 |
| TN | 0 | #775 | 55 | 13,765 | |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #804 | 3 | 18,755 |
| EG | Boys | 0 | #874 | 13 | 15,035 |
| United States | Girls | 2022 | #898 | 6 | 8,739 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #914 | 22 | 25,931 |
| CL | Girls | 0 | #915 | 1 | 14,098 |
| NL | Girls | 0 | #941 | 15 | 5,933 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #970 | 25 | 24,821 |
| EG | Girls | 0 | #1,008 | 2 | 14,742 |
| PE | Girls | 0 | #1,009 | 2 | 14,861 |
| DZ | 0 | #1,101 | 76 | 20,130 | |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,121 | 21 | 25,928 |
| AE | Boys | 0 | #1,142 | 2 | 22,615 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,174 | 9 | 25,439 |
| MA | 0 | #1,191 | 9 | 20,986 | |
| TR | 0 | #1,250 | 5 | 19,440 | |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,266 | 2 | 17,781 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,270 | 3 | 25,619 |
| IT | Girls | 0 | #1,433 | 14 | 9,415 |
| IT | Boys | 0 | #1,453 | 19 | 10,046 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,597 | 18 | 28,008 |
Bess is popular in 52 countries — most recent births per country:
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