Belle
Belle is a feminine given name meaning "beautiful". It may also be a short form (hypocorism) of Isabella, Isabel or variations thereof.
Meaning & Origin of Belle
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Belle is a feminine given name meaning "beautiful". It may also be a short form (hypocorism) of Isabella, Isabel or variations thereof.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Belle
Belle first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 238 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1915, when 407 Belles were born — ranking #288 that year. As of 2026, Belle ranks #993 for baby girls with 257 births, gradually falling (-11%). In total, more than 19K Belles have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Belle
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Belle Kendrick Abbott (1842–1893), American author
- Belle Baker (1893–1957), American singer and actress
- Belle Baranceanu (1902–1988), American artist
- Belle Barth (1911–1971), Jewish-American entertainer
- Belle Benchley (1882–1972), American director of the San Diego Zoo from 1927 to 1953
- Belle Bennett (1891–1932), American stage and screen actress
- Belle Boyd (1843–1900), Confederate spy during the American Civil War
- Belle Brezing (1860–1940), American brothel owner, believed to be the model for Belle Watling in Gone with the Wind
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Belle
Phonetically similar names — useful when Belle is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Belle
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About the name Belle
Belle is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 19K births in the dataset. Belle's peak popularity came in 1915 when it ranked #90. Use the chart and map above to compare Belle's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1915 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all girl names →
- 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.