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BabyNames
Girl name#1,611 of girl names

Bess

Pronounced B EH1 S (ARPABET)

  • 1 syllable
  • Peaked 1889
  • 143 years in use
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How popular is Bess?

Bess is a girls' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 7,842 children — the 1,611th most common girls' name on record.

It is still recorded, but barely: 53 births across the past decade, against a peak of 221 in a single year. That peak was in 1889.

06312518825018901920195019802010
1889Girls: 221Boys: 0

Characteristics

  • 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
B EH1 S
Stress pattern:
1
Syllables:
1

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Bess

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Bess

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Bess?
Bess ranks 1,611th among girls' names in US records, with 7,842 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 53.
Is Bess a unisex name?
No. Bess is recorded almost entirely as a girls' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Bess most popular?
1889, when 221 children were given the name. It has been in use for 143 years and is still recorded as of 2024.