Bellatrix
Bellatrix is the third-brightest star in the constellation of Orion, positioned 5° west of the red supergiant Betelgeuse. It has the Bayer designation γ Orionis, which is Latinized to Gamma Orionis. With a slightly variable magnitude of around 1.6, it is typically the 25th-brightest star in the night sky. It is the closest major star in Orion at only 244.6 light-years from the Solar System.
- Astronomy
Meaning & Origin of Bellatrix
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Bellatrix is the third-brightest star in the constellation of Orion, positioned 5° west of the red supergiant Betelgeuse. It has the Bayer designation γ Orionis, which is Latinized to Gamma Orionis. With a slightly variable magnitude of around 1.6, it is typically the 25th-brightest star in the night sky. It is the closest major star in Orion at only 244.6 light-years from the Solar System.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Astronomy
The Story of Bellatrix
The earliest SSA record of Bellatrix as a baby girl name dates back to 2008, when 5 babies received it. 2026 was its biggest year on record, with 38 newborns named Bellatrix — #3,870 in the national rankings. About 57% of every Bellatrix on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Bellatrix ranks #3,870 for baby girls with 38 births, rising sharply (+34% over the past five years). All told, over 401 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Bellatrix
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bellatrix is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Beatrix
- Balearics
- Belletrist
- Fellatrix
- Politics
- Politicks
- Beatrice
- Baltics
- Bariatrics
- Ballistics
- Balletic
- Belarus
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bellatrix
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Is Bellatrix a unisex name?
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About the name Bellatrix
Bellatrix is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2008 and has accumulated 401 births in the dataset. Bellatrix's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #3,870. Use the chart and map above to compare Bellatrix's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2026 →
- Names of the 2020s →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.