Bessie vs Bess

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

Name A

Bessie

Girl name · Rank #9521

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Name B

Bess

Girl name

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Which name is more popular?

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

Births by Decade

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

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Bessie Bess
2014 11 8
2015 11 6
2016 8 6
2017 12 —
2018 9 7
2019 11 5
2020 16 8
2021 17 —
2022 13 6
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, 1880–2024.

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