Bess vs Bessie

Side-by-side comparison of Bess and Bessie — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Bess

Girl name

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Name B

Bessie

Girl name · Rank #9521

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Bess Bessie
Current Rank Unranked #9521
Total Births (all years) 7,166 170,123
Peak Year 1889 1916
Peak Year Births 182 4,122
Peak Decade 1890ss 1910ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Bess Bessie
1880ss 1,099 15,373
1890ss 1,526 24,417
1900ss 1,030 23,984
1910ss 1,076 33,859
1920ss 645 32,158
1930ss 251 18,035
1940ss 270 11,062
1950ss 257 5,942
1960ss 219 2,592
1970ss 203 1,206
1980ss 293 749
1990ss 127 386
2000ss 97 180
2010ss 59 109
2020ss 14 71

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Bess Bessie
2014 8 11
2015 6 11
2016 6 8
2017 — 12
2018 7 9
2019 5 11
2020 8 16
2021 — 17
2022 6 13
2023 — 15
2024 — 10

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2022.

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