Where does the name Bessie come from?

Bessie is a girl name of Hebrew origin.

Is Bessie a boy or a girl name?

Bessie is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 170,114 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Bessie in 2023?

Bessie ranks #7308 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1916 with 4,122 babies.

How do you pronounce Bessie?

Bessie is pronounced BESS-ee (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Bessie?

Bessie is also written as Bess, Bessy, Bettie.

A name from Hebrew · Girl

Bessie

A diminutive of Elizabeth, from Hebrew Elisheva meaning 'my God is an oath'. Independent as a given name in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

170,114 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

15 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

BA diminutive of Elizabeth, from Hebrew Elisheva meaning 'my God is an oath'. Independent as a given name in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Bessie".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Bess Most common Bessy Bettie

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Bessie.

B
Bessie Smith (Empress of the Blues)
B
Bessie Coleman (first African-American female pilot)

Quick answers

People often ask about Bessie.

What does the name Bessie mean?: Bessie means a diminutive of Elizabeth, from Hebrew Elisheva meaning 'my God is an oath'. Independent as a given name in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Where does the name Bessie come from?: Bessie is a girl name of Hebrew origin.
Is Bessie a boy or a girl name?: Bessie is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 170,114 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Bessie in 2023?: Bessie ranks #7308 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1916 with 4,122 babies.
How do you pronounce Bessie?: Bessie is pronounced BESS-ee (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Bessie?: Bessie is also written as Bess, Bessy, Bettie.

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Mary

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Bitter; beloved; wished-for child

God is my oath; consecrated to God

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.